Convergence
by Pyewacket75
Summary: After being given a very old medical text, Dr. House is whisked away to the 17th century with seemingly no way back. There, he meets the daughter of the current King of England, who has a penchant for be-headings. Can House stay out of trouble and keep his head off the chopping block? Rated M for adult situations and themes. This is my NaNoWriMo 2012 story. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello my loyal readers. I've been meaning to post this for some time but got tied up with work and finishing [L]azarus that I haven't found the time to post. So here it is. This is my NaNoWriMo story from 2012. As you can see, it is a crossover. My first, in fact, and possibly my last. I've rated this story M because there are adult situations and themes that aren't suitable for minors, blah blah blah. But, if you like sex, executions and...well...sex, I think you'll enjoy this. It's certainly different. I haven't looked at this story since I wrote it, so I'll be editing as I go along. It'll all be new to me. Haha._

_The synopsis is pretty much what I put in the story description. It's a time travel story set in the mid 17th century. Of course the characters are all fictional, save for my favorite leading men in the whole world, Dr. Emmett L. Brown and Dr. Gregory House. One is a doctor of Science, the other of Medicine and they couldn't be more different in character and temperament if they tried. I couldn't resist having them both in a story. Of course, since we're dealing with time travel, I could very well have chosen the handsome Dr. Samuel Beckett from Quantum Leap, but he's too pretty and we can't have TWO hot leading men. Haha. Well, we could, but again, that would be boring._

_So, I'm going to stop rambling and let you read so I can shut the computer down and go to bed. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Doc Brown and Dr. House. They belong to Universal and FOX, respectively, created by Bob Gale and David Shore, respectively. The rest of the characters are all mine. I have not made, and will not make any money from this story.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Princeton, New Jersey**

**1999**

"_If I don't open my eyes, the day isn't here yet_," House thought to himself as he lay in bed, eyes closed tightly. He knew that as soon as he opened them, the day would begin, and he'd be another year older. Normally he didn't care about birthdays but this was the big one. A milestone. He would officially be considered "over the hill."

It seemed ridiculous to him. Twenty or thirty years ago, it made sense, since people were dropping dead in their seventies and eighties. But now, people were living well into their nineties and seeing the big one hundred. In his opinion, forty was the new thirty. He certainly didn't feel or act his age so the whole over the hill stigma was meaningless to him.

Eventually, he opened one eye, warily searching the room for any signs of life. He smelled coffee. That was always a welcome thing in the morning. So he opened the other eye and took in a deep breath. _Was that bacon? And what else? Pancakes?_ He yawned and sat up in the large bed, running a hand over his scruffy face.

"Ah-ha! You are awake!" Stacy said with a smile as she brought in a tray containing what he assumed was his breakfast. "I was wondering when you'd finally grace me with your presence this morning."

House smiled at her as she placed the tray across his lap and sat on the side of the bed. "So what's all this?" he asked.

"It's customary for a woman to bring her boyfriend breakfast in bed on his birthday."

He blinked. "Damn, there's a tongue twister if I ever heard one. I dare you to say that five times real fast."

Stacy picked up the fork, stabbed at a piece of waffle and held it up to his mouth. "Shut up and eat."

He took a large bite and closed his eyes. Stacy didn't like to cook because she never had time, but when she did, it was always nothing short of amazing.

"So, feel old yet?" she teased as she watched him eat.

"Nope. It usually doesn't sink in that I'm a year older until the next day or so."

"I see. So any plans for today?"

"Work."

Stacy frowned. "I thought we were going to spend the day together. In bed," she said as her fingers traced invisible patterns on his leg.

"We were. Until I got called last night to come in for a consult."

"But it's your birthday," she whined.

"Yeah and I don't observe them. You know that. Why should this year be any different than the others?"

"Because this one is special."

House shrugged and took another bite of his waffle. "I'll try to get out of there early today, okay? That's all I can do for now. It depends on how bad this patient is." He could see she still wasn't happy and he placed his hand under her chin and turned it so he could look at her. "You know this is important. I'm trying to get my own department at Princeton Plainsboro, but first I have to prove that I can pull it off, and that I can get enough patients to make it worthwhile."

"It sounded like it was a sure thing," Stacy pouted.

"It will be. You know Lisa Cuddy? She's Dean of Medicine and an old friend. But she has to get the board to agree that they even need a new department. Diagnostics is practically unheard of."

"It's just, you've been out of work for so long. Other than this consulting stuff, you can't seem to hold down a job at any hospital because of your attitude."

"Yeah? And?"

"Well it's just that I'd like to see you get settled somewhere and stay there longer than a month. I don't plan on moving again. I've got my practice here now and I'm making a name for myself."

"Cuddy will be my boss at PPTH. At least I know she won't fire me. She has plans."

"What sort of plans?" Stacy inquired as she stole a piece of toast off his tray, to which House growled.

"Didn't you get your own breakfast?"

"Yes, but I'm still hungry. Anyway, you were talking about the plans that Lisa has for you."

"If all goes well she'll give me my own department and my own team of doctors to help me. It'll be awesome. I'm getting more and more referrals every day and I can pretty much pick and choose the ones I want to take. If it keeps up, she'll be able to convince the board to hire me."

"Then you best get to work then, Dr. House."

"I will. After breakfast."

He ate, showered and got dressed before coming into the kitchen. "I'll call you later and let you know what's what."

"Then you'll let me take you out for dinner?" Stacy asked, looking hopeful.

"Like where?"

"Wherever you want."

"I could totally go for a nice juicy steak."

Stacy smiled as she placed her hands on his chest and pressed herself against him. "Ruth's Chris Steakhouse it is."

She leaned up, he bent his head and kissed her goodbye before grabbing his car keys and heading out the door.

X X X

"So did Stacy get you anything special for your birthday?" Wilson inquired as they sat in the cafeteria at lunch.

"Define special."

"Umm...a gift?"

"Nope. She did bring me breakfast in bed though. And she stole a piece of my toast. Hmmph," House sniffed as he took a large bite of his reuben sandwich.

"Well that's something."

"She's mad."

"What about?"

"We were supposed to spend the day together but I decided to come in for a consult instead. I just don't get it."

"What?"

"She knows how important this is. The whole consulting thing. Why can't she just learn to accept it? She's with a doctor. Our lives are unpredictable. She can't seem to understand that I'm not always going to be there."

"Well then you'll have to do some thinking. Some serious thinking."

"What are you suggesting?"

"You guys have been together for what? Four years? Things getting a little stale in the romance department?"

House chuckled. "Look who's talking. Your idea of bringing the spark back is to cheat on your wife."

Wilson frowned and folded his arms across his chest as he sat back in his chair. "We're not talking about me. We're talking about you. What do you want House? Are you happy with Stacy?"

"Happy enough. It's not boring."

"What? Life or sex?"

"Both. She's a firecracker in the sack. I'd be an idiot to give that up."

"So then talk to her. Tell her that your job and your patient will always come first. No woman wants to hear that, but it's the sad truth. It's part and parcel of being involved with a doctor. And she's a successful attorney herself. Doesn't she have nights where she stays late or has to cancel plans with you?"

"Sometimes, but it's no big deal. I have enough to keep myself entertained when she's not around. As for what she does when I'm not there, I have no idea."

House's pager went off and he checked it. "911. Gotta go." He took one last bite of his sandwich, grabbed the bag of chips off Wilson's tray and left in a hurry.

It was not a good day. No matter what they did, how hard they worked, the patient still died when he couldn't be revived on the operating table.

"House!" the other doctor shouted at him. "He's gone. Call it."

"Not yet."

"He's been dead for two minutes already. He'll be a vegetable if you do get his heart started again. Let him go. There's nothing you can do."

House put down the paddles and stepped back. He glanced at the clock. "Time of death, 5:21 p.m." He then stormed out of the surgical suite and tore off his cap and gown. He wanted nothing more than to go home and have Stacy lick his wounds, among other things. The thought actually brought a smile to his face. He called her from the car on his way home. "Hey, it's me. I'll be home in about twenty minutes. Get ready and we'll go out for that dinner you promised me."

"Great. I'll be ready."

"Good." He ended the call and cranked the tunes until he pulled into his usual parking space.

When he got in, the way he tossed his things on the floor, Stacy knew he'd had a bad day. "You lost the patient, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Is my body language that obvious?" he sighed as he headed for the bottle of scotch in the kitchen.

"Just a little. Come on, drink your scotch and then we'll go to dinner. You'll feel better once you've had a nice big steak and a few glasses of wine."

House sighed as he went to the bedroom to change. "Why do you put up with me?"

Stacy stood in the doorway and watched him undress, admiring his very nicely sculpted chest and toned biceps which were still tanned from summer.

"What do you mean?"

"When I lose a patient I'm a mess."

She shrugged and came into the room. When she was in front of him, she placed her hands on his chest and let her nails rake over his nipples, causing him to shiver. "Because you're my boyfriend, and it's my job to make you feel better after a long hard day. Hopefully you won't have any more days like that anytime soon."

"Everybody dies," he said as he reached for a sky blue button up shirt and his navy sports jacket to wear with his dark pants. But Stacy was still drawing invisible patterns on his bare chest and he smiled down at her. "I thought you wanted to go to dinner?"

"I do," she smiled impishly up at him as she continued to tease his nipples with her long nails. "But seeing you standing here like this is a little too hard to resist."

House tossed the shirt aside and wrapped his arms around her. "Well then I guess we'll just have to be a little late for dinner."

X X X

House and Stacy were seated in a booth at the back of the restaurant, a bottle of wine and candlelight were placed on the table as they sat and enjoyed each other.

"So, I got you something," Stacy said with a shy smile as she began rooting through her large purse.

"Oh? I thought you already gave me something," he grinned wickedly and she blushed at the memory of what they'd just done before they arrived at the restaurant. It was quite unexpected but also very enjoyable. For both parties.

"Not that, Greg," she chuckled as she pulled out a wrapped gift and set it on the table. House went to rip open the paper but she slapped his hand. "Hey! You're supposed to open the card first."

He arched an eyebrow. "Seriously? I know who it's from."

"That's not the point. Just open it."

House groaned as he took the card out of the envelope and read it aloud. "Greg, one can never have enough books to read in the bathroom. Love always, Stacy." He closed the card and held it against his chest, batting his eyelashes at her. "How ridiculously saccharine."

Stacy smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

"Now can I open it?" he pleaded like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"Yes, you can open it."

"Goody." He tore off the bow, tossed it over his shoulder and hit a passing waiter in the head. Then he ripped off the colored paper and stared at the worn and tattered book in front of him with disbelief. "The English Physician. By Nicholas Culpepper. Holy crap!"

"Do you like it?" she asked, looking worried all of a sudden.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes. It's a book."

"No, it's not JUST a book. This is the mother of all medical books," he said as he stared at it. "Where in the hell did you find this? It looks authentic."

"That's because it is."

"So I'll ask again. Where did you get it?"

"One of my clients. I had to beg and plead to get my hands on this. There aren't that many copies out there, and very few that are in such good shape as this one."

"So where did he get it?"

"She claims it's been passed down through generations of her family. And that it's been kept in a safe because it's um, well, kind of special."

"Fucking rights it's special!" he whispered. "Did you look at it?"

"No. Why?"

"Do you know how old this book is?"

Stacy shook her head so House flipped through the book and its yellowing and faded pages until he came to the publication date. "Here," he said, shoving the book towards her. He couldn't resist the pull that the book had on him. He couldn't stop looking at it, and couldn't let go of it. He felt completely entranced with it. When she tried to take it, he placed his hand over hers. "Look. Don't touch. What does that date say?"

"Umm," she said as she glanced at it. "1652." Then she stared at him in wonder. "Seriously?"

"How did you know I wanted this?"

"I didn't. I do know that you have a ton of old and obscure medical books. You seem to like this kind of thing. Who knows? Maybe it'll help you on a case one of these days."

He could barely hear her as he shuffled through the pages. Finally, their server arrived with their dinners so he put the book down, but kept it close to him. It was like a security blanket, and he wasn't letting it out of his sight.

"Wilson's gonna freak."

"You're welcome," Stacy said as she grabbed her fork and began cutting into her steak. House reached over and placed his hand on top of hers.

"Thank you," he said. "It's probably the best thing anyone's ever given me."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Really. Now eat. You're going to need your strength for later."

They ate, but skipped dessert, wasting no time in asking for the check. Once home, they stumbled through the front door in a lip-lock that had them gasping for air when they bumped against the wall in the living room. His hands were everywhere, pulling at her clothes as they continued to move through the apartment toward the bedroom. "Get em off," he murmured as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and tugged, nearly ripping them off of her in his haste to get rid of them.

Stacy kicked off her heels, undid her skirt at the back and it slipped down her legs, nearly tripping her. "Greg!" she gasped as his hand slipped down and discovered that she was very wet and very ready for him.

He shoved her against the nearest wall and kept stroking her until she pulled her own panties off and then reached for his belt buckle. He unzipped his pants, shoved them down with his boxers and his very hard cock stood at full salute, the tip glistening. "Oh fuck yeah!" he growled as she sank to her knees and took him into her mouth the same way she had done earlier that evening. He buried his fingers in her hair and began to thrust into her mouth as she continued to bob her head. God but she was good at that! He was already close, but he didn't want to end that way. He pulled back from her and fell to his knees as well, their lips meeting again in a deep, passionate kiss that had them panting as they removed the rest of their clothes. He moved on top of her, grabbed one of her legs, lifted it up and slammed into her tight channel. "Oh God!" he groaned as he stilled his movements for a few seconds, letting her adjust to him. She was so tight and warm that it took every ounce of willpower not to completely lose it. But after a few thrusts, she was begging him.

"Greg! Fuck me! Oh god! Yes!" she screamed as she grabbed fistfuls of his hair and arched her back so he could get even deeper inside. "So good! Harder! Fuck me harder, Greg!" she screamed. He did as she asked, his thrusts pushing her across the hardwood floor. "Oh god Greg!I'm-I'm gonna-"

"Come for me, Stace, oh yeah-" he grunted as he felt her inner walls flexing around his cock as she neared her climax and then fell over the edge, screaming his name a few more times.

He gave a few more thrusts before he fell over the edge himself, pumping slowly to ride out both of their orgasms and then collapsed on top of her in a tangle of arms and legs. Both were bathed in sweat and trying to catch their breath.

"Happy Birthday indeed," he chuckled as he looked up into her brown eyes and grinned at her. "Best birthday ever."

"Really?"

"Oh hell yes."

"Mhm. I'm inclined to agree."

* * *

_So whaddya guys think? The story is finished but there are only a dozen chapters so I'll be posting every other day or so. I don't have any story ideas in my head right now so I'm posting this while I put the finishing touches on [L]azarus and get that done, then I'll be taking a bit of a hiatus until something comes into my head that's worth writing. In the meantime, read to your heart's content and by all means, leave a comment. Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hmm..not too many readers yet. Maybe some of you are too young to remember the Back to the Future trilogy, or simply don't care. It was my first fandom I ever got into before House. Anyway, you guys are in for a bumpy, and somewhat weird ride with this story haha. So buckle up, buttercup! Reviews and comments are most welcome and appreciated :) I love hearing from all of you :)  
**_

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**Chapter Two**

House couldn't sleep. He spent half the night tossing and turning until he eventually gave up trying and went into the living room, being careful not to wake Stacy as he disentangled himself from her.

He went looking for the book. He couldn't explain why, but whatever it was, it was calling to him, much like how Kryptonite called Clark Kent, and he was going to answer. He took the book into the kitchen with him and poured himself a glass of Scotch before returning to the living room. He sat down on the couch and began to read. It was certainly a relic. There were dozens of spelling errors and typos but he didn't care. He was fascinated by everything and couldn't stop reading.

It was four in the morning when his eyes finally closed and he fell asleep with the book across his chest. He felt like he was dreaming, and yet he was lucid at the same time. He felt like he was drifting off and he wasn't sure what to make of it, until he felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him.

"Greg? What are you doing in here?" Stacy inquired, standing over him.

"Huh? Wha?"

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Looks like you were doing just that a minute ago."

"I was tossing and turning so I came in here to get a drink and hopefully come back to bed. So I started to read and I fell asleep."

Stacy looked down at the book which had fallen on the floor. "Must've been an interesting book."

House smirked. "It's awesome. It's all about various plants and herbs that you can use to heal people. And these are things that you don't see much of anymore. And certainly not here in Jersey. Most of them are found in Europe. Makes me want to go there and see if that stuff is still growing. It could be a very interesting sideline."

Stacy sat down and handed him the book, not feeling the pull that House did when she touched it. "My client said this book was kept in the safe for a reason."

"Oh yeah? Such as? It could be pretty valuable to someone who had knowledge on how to use some of this stuff."

"She kind of gave me a warning."

House arched his eyebrow. "What? Is it cursed or something?" he chuckled.

"Or something. I didn't say anything because you know I don't believe in all that crap, and neither do you."

"Okay now you're scaring me. Do I have to get you a psych eval?"

She playfully slapped his arm. "No, silly. If anyone does, it's the client who gave me the book."

"She gave it to you? You didn't buy it from her?"

"Nope. I said I was trying to find a book that you didn't have and she said she had just the thing and the next day she brought it to me and said it had been in the safe at her Grandmother's house for ages. She apparently guarded it with her life and wouldn't let anyone look at it. Said it was better left alone for reasons she wouldn't get into. And seeing you with it now, you can't keep your hands off it, can you? It's why you couldn't sleep."

House chuckled. "I lost a patient yesterday. That usually causes me to lose sleep. I hardly think this book is the reason. But now that you've told me, I'll keep it mind."

"And come back to bed?"

"Yeah. Come on," he said as he followed her into the bedroom, but not before he grabbed the book and took it with him.

He placed it on the nightstand and climbed into bed. What Stacy told him sounded ridiculous at best. Of course, living in Egypt, he'd heard all sorts of garbage about curses and various superstitious claptrap. He didn't believe any of it.

X X X

"Dude, you have to see what Stacy got me for my birthday," House said as he reached into his bag and produced the book. Wilson went to take it but House held it away. "Hey, look with your eyes and not with your hands. MINE."

"House, if you don't want me to see it, then why bother showing me? Give it here. I'm not going to hurt it."

With some hesitation, House handed over the book but watched warily as his friend took in the book and his eyes widened. "Wow. Is this the real thing?"

"Yep," House said with a proud grin.

"Where did she get it? I heard this book was like taboo or something."

House rolled his eyes. "Oh God, not you too."

"Well that's what I heard. There haven't been any copies of it seen in years."

"This one's been in a safe for years. Why, I still don't know. But I don't really care. Mine now." He snatched the book back. "There are some cool things in here, if you can get past all the typos and spelling mistakes. I guess that's the price you pay for authenticity."

"Be careful, House. Stuff like this, it's kept in museums and safes for a reason."

"Oh please! You don't really believe old wives tales and superstitious claptrap either, do you? I mean, come on. It's JUST a book."

"A weird book, and an old one," Wilson pointed out. "Who knows where it's been."

"Well from the looks of its condition, I'd say to hell and back."

"You probably have the first part right," Wilson muttered. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Read it, duhh. Stacy bought it for bathroom reading. Guess she was trying to be funny, but I could probably use this in some of my cases. I've given it a casual read so far and a lot of the plants and herbs are mainly found in Europe. I was considering taking a trip out there."

Wilson's eyes widened. "Seriously? All because of an old book? Wow. You're seriously losing it."

"It would be cool to bring some of this stuff back and see if it still works for healing purposes. I'm all over it."

"Uh-huh. What does Stacy say about it?"

"I haven't brought it up yet. I want to finish reading it first. What's weird is that it's been calling to me. I have it sitting on the table next to my bed and it's like I can't sleep for wanting to read it. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, see, that's the kind of thing I think you should be worried about. That's just weird. Can you even stand to put it away for five minutes?"

"Sure." House opened the coffee table drawer and slammed it closed. "Done. Now, what should we order for dinner?"

"Pizza's good. I'll ask Stacy. Hey, Stacy?"

"Yeah?"

"Pizza for dinner?"

"Sure!" she called back from her den where she worked on a case."

"Go get the menu from the kitchen and we'll decide on what kind."

As soon as Wilson was out of the room, House opened the drawer and took the book out again.

But Wilson didn't go to the kitchen, he jumped "Ha! Caught red-handed!"

"What the?" House cursed as he jumped ten feet after Wilson jumped out at him.

"I knew you couldn't leave that book alone for longer than five minutes. You're totally addicted to it. What's so special about it anyway?"

House shrugs. "It's awesome. I like it and every page has something new and cool to learn. I'll probably never be able to use any of it in a case, but then, you never know. Someone from England might come over from there and have some weird ass illness and I'll be able to diagnose and treat it because I know of the plant or herb or whatever that will cure him."

"Whatever, House," Wilson sighed as he returned to the kitchen to get the menu, leaving House with his herbs.

XXX

**London, England**

**1666**

"I won't do it and you can't make me!" the princess shouted at her father. Her mother, the Queen, gasped at her daughter's behavior.

"Althea, control yourself! You will not speak to your father in such a way!"

"I will if he makes me go through with this marriage. I don't want to marry Anthony. I never liked him and I don't care what you say. I'm not going through with it."

"Althea," King Richard all but shouted. He was a very easy going man, who rarely lost his temper or raised his voice, but his daughter's antics were causing his patience to wear thin. "You've been betrothed to the Duke of Cambridge since you were a child of two. Surely he's not a bad young man. Your mother and I wouldn't have chosen him for you if he wasn't reputable."

"He's an old man! I'm too young for him. Why didn't you set him up with my elder sister. She's closer to his age."

"Your sister is not the concern here, daughter. You will do what I tell you to do, when I tell you do it. This marriage will form a great alliance."

"I don't care about your alliance, father! And I won't do it. You can't make me. I don't love him, and I never will."

"You're but a child. What do you know about love? When I was your age I didn't have a choice!" Then he coughed and grinned sheepishly at his wife. "Not that I would've chosen any different, of course," he said as he reached for her hand and kissed it.

The Queen merely rolled her eyes at him but smiled sweetly. "I was petrified at meeting your father. But over the years I've grown to love him very much. As you will learn to love Anthony."

"Listen," King Richard sighed, "the wedding is in two weeks. Take that time and decide what it is you want. You will be the future Queen of England one day. You need to marry someone with stature and prestige. The Duke will provide that."

Althea sighed. She didn't like it at all but she knew she really had no choice. Her father's word was law, and she had to abide by it. Therefore, she would, but it didn't mean she had to like it, or that she had to sit around and do nothing. Oh no, she was going to live life to the full and do all the things she wanted before she got married to that pompous, blustering windbag Anthony, Duke of Cambridge.

XXX

"Are you going for a ride in the woods, my Lady?" Liz, her lady in waiting, inquired as she brought over Althea's riding gear.

"Yes. It's a nice day out. I want to enjoy it. Clear my head."

"Might you visit the Duke in your travels?"

Althea glared at her. "No."

"He's quite handsome, M'lady."

"He has the brains of a shrimp."

"He's got a good body-" Liz sang before she was cut off.

"Will you be quiet! I have no intention of visiting the old man anytime soon. I said I'd marry him. That doesn't mean I have to like it. It's bad enough I have to share his bed and lose my maidenhead." Althea shivered at the very idea of losing her innocence to that man. It was bad enough that he was much older than she. Twenty years give or take. She only met him a few times growing up and what she knew of him, she didn't like. He was spoiled, complacent and rude. Not at all attractive to her. She liked intelligence in a man, and a good sense of humor. Those things intrigued her. If she were honest, the royal blacksmith caught her attention on occasion, and he was much older than the Duke. But she liked him for his sharp mind and his long, silvery flowing hair. However, she knew he was far out of her reach. He was a nobleman. And noblemen didn't mix with royalty.

Still, she adored the man, and she knew he considered her a friend. He came to their kingdom some months before, claiming to be lost on his way home. Since then, her father gave him living quarters at court and put him to work fixing anything and everything that needed it. The man proved to be quite adept at shoeing horses and fixing wagons, and became an excellent asset to the Kingdom.

As she dressed, she thought of the man who called himself Emmett. Well, she was the only one who called him that. Everyone else called him Dr. Von Braun, because he claimed to be a doctor of Science, and clearly had the knowledge to back up his claims. Her father was fascinated with the man and let him stay in the castle.

"I think I might go for a ride and a swim in the pond. It's too hot out. I don't want to get the sweating sickness like they had last summer. Although, between you and I, Liz, I'd rather be dead than marry the Duke of Cambridge."

Liz's eyes widened. "You mustn't speak that way, M'lady."

"Why not? It's the truth. He's an old man. I'll be a widow in five years at most. And then I can marry whomever I choose."

"Like the blacksmith?"

Althea laughed. Liz was very bright. Almost too bright for her own good. "Oh, good heavens no! He's old enough to be my grandfather."

"Yes, that's true. But he's nicer than the Duke."

Althea sighed. "Yes he is. But he's out of the question. My father would have to make him a Duke for that to happen and there's no chance of that. No, Emmett is just a good friend. Nothing more. And besides, I don't think he'll be with us much longer. He seems to think he'll be leaving soon."

"Leaving to where, M'Lady?"

Althea shrugged. "I really don't know. He's very private about himself. He doesn't talk much about where he came from and I haven't asked too many questions because each one has been met with a dead end. So that's fine. If he wanted to tell me, he would. I understand. "

Althea pulled on her riding boots and headed outside to the stables where Emmett was shoeing a horse. "Morning, your Highness," he smiled at her, a smile that reached his eyes. "Going riding, I see."

"Yes. It's too nice to stay indoors. Would you care to accompany me, Doctor?"

"I'd love nothing more, but I have a lot of horses to see to. And then I have to fix a wagon. Raincheck?"

Althea cocked her head to one side. "Rain...check? What, pray tell, is a raincheck?"

Emmett chuckled and stood up. At 6'2 he was quite a bit taller than she was and he towered over her. She caught a whiff of his scent and it was very pleasant and welcoming. Whatever soap he used and the fresh morning air was intoxicating.

"It means that I'd like to take you up on your offer at another time."

"Oh, of course. That would be lovely," she smiled and then went to the pen where her Stallion, Vixen was waiting for her. "Good morning, Vixen," she smiled as she petted the horse and grabbed a comb to brush the horse's main. "Ready to go for a ride?"

The horse all but nodded and made soft sounds to let her know she was happy to see her Mistress.

"Here, let me help you," Emmett said as he reached for the saddle and bridle and helped Althea get Vixen ready to go for a ride. Once the horse was ready, Emmett hoisted her up onto its back and handed her the reins. "Have a nice ride, your highness. And be careful. There are ruffians about."

Althea giggled as she smiled down at the man. His dark brown eyes were almost hypnotic and she couldn't stop staring into them.

He cleared his throat and watched her ride off with the expertise of a seasoned equestrian, sighed wistfully and went back to his duties. God, if only he were thirty years younger. He normally didn't go for young girls but there was something about that girl that interested him. "Get a grip, Emmett," he muttered to himself as he hammered away at the shoe. "No way in hell would she ever be interested in you. You're old enough to be her great grandfather. Especially in these times. What could you possibly have in common with the likes of her?" He sighed and continued to think more about it. "Hmm..well there's science. Horses, music. They discussed many things since he'd been employed at the castle. She was a very remarkable young lady and she fascinated him to no end. And deep down, he hoped, or rather, he knew, the feeling was mutual. He could tell when he looked at her.

But nothing could ever come of it. She was betrothed to some arrogant idiot in the kingdom nearby. He knew she wasn't happy about that. They discussed it as well, but her hands were tied. Still, it didn't stop him from thinking about her on a regular basis and hoping that if their paths were to cross sometime late at night, that they might be able to-

"Hey, are you sure you have enough nails in that shoe, Doc?" one of the stable hands laughed at him.

"Huh? Oh," Emmett said, and chuckled at his mistake. "I suppose I do now." He let the horse back in his pen and shut the gate. "My mind was elsewhere."

"Yeah, I know where it was. You were thinkin about her royal highness. There's no point in denying it, man. It's as plain as the nose on yer ol' mug," the man laughed.

Emmett scowled. "It doesn't matter though, does it? Nothing can come of it. She's betrothed to the Duke of Cambridge."

"Maybe, but she does not love the Duke. I think you might have a fightin' chance."

"I wish I could be as optimistic. But it's a lost cause. She deserves someone much younger. And besides, I don't plan on staying very long. It wouldn't be fair to her to start something now, only to leave her behind."

"Why can't ye take 'er with ye?"

"I just can't. I don't belong here, and she wouldn't belong where I come from."

"And where might that be?"

"Somewhere far away from here. Let's just leave it at that."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Princeton, NJ,**

**1999**

House was tired. His current case was taking its toll on him. He'd exhausted all the avenues but kept hitting a dead end at every turn. He didn't know what to do next and the patient was circling the drain.

He sat and buried his face in his hands, not sure what to do next. Hoping to clear his head, he reached for the English Physician. It had been a few weeks and he'd read it a few times all the way through. He knew he wouldn't find his answer within it this time, but he was tired, and maybe reading it would help him fall asleep so he'd be fresh in the morning.

Stacy was away on business, or so she said. She'd had a lot of meetings and business trips lately and he missed her. He knew she was working on an important case at the moment and like him, would focus all her time and energy on preparing for that one case, even if it took weeks to do so. She'd been gone a few days and he was bored. Nothing seemed to hold his interest. Not even porn.

As he flipped the pages, his eyes began to get tired and he closed them, only for a minute, he told himself. But as he slumped over on the couch, he suddenly began to feel cold. Not just the chills, but as if he was outside.

This was practically impossible since he was in his apartment and it was the middle of summer.

House couldn't escape the feeling either. When he tried to warm himself up, he couldn't even move his arms. "What the..." he muttered as he tried opening his eyes, but they felt like lead. In fact, his whole body felt like lead and he was suddenly paralyzed with fear. "What's happening?" He shouted, but there was nothing but silence, and his voice echoed like he was outside in the woods. Then he heard it. Or them. Horses. Thundering through what sounded like a forest.

He was afraid to open his eyes, but he knew he had to. When he did, a hand clamped over his mouth. "Shhh! Or we'll both be killed!" someone hissed loudly in his ear. The voice was definitely female, and her accent was definitely British.

He was all but dragged away into a thicket as several men on horseback approached, looking around.

"I thought you said you heard voices, John," one off the men said.

"I did. I know I did. It was but a man's voice. I distinctly heard it."

"What did the voice say?"

"It sounded like he said "What's happening."

"I'll tell you what's happening, us going to the pub for some ale. Although it sounds like you might've already had a few." The other man laughed as House's eyes grew wide. "And what of the maiden you thought you saw and shot with your cross bow?"

"I do not know. I was certain I hit my target, but there is no sign of her."

"What were you planning to do with her when you had her?"

"What do you think?" He laughed and pulled out a bottle from his saddle and chewed off the cork. "She was a pretty thing. Fell right to the ground when I hit her. But when I went to investigate, she was not to be found."

"Well, we've been over every inch of his forest and there's no trace of her. So as I said, let us go to the pub. It's getting on."

The other men seemed to agree with this and nodded. "Aye. To the pub!"

House glanced at his companion and noticed the blood. "You're bleeding," he whispered.

"Shhh!" she hissed at him. "Keep quiet!"

He looked her over and liked what he saw. She looked like jailbait to him and he wondered just how old she was.

They waited for the men to disappear and then he turned to her. "As I was saying, you're bleeding. Turn around."

"I beg your pardon, sir..."

"Do you want my help or not?" he snapped back at her.

"How dare you..."

House had had enough of her and stood up, but his hip was sore and stiff, probably from lying on the hard ground for so long. He walked around the back of her and saw the arrow sticking out from her side and hoped it didn't rupture anything. "Do you want it sugar coated or right between the eyes?"

"Pardon me?"

"How do you want it?"

"Want what?"

"You have an arrow stuck in you. It looks pretty deep too. I don't know if I can pull it out without rupturing something or nicking a major artery so you won't bleed to death."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and then they widened, as if she finally understood his meaning. "Is it too late to get it sugar-coated?"

"That WAS sugar coated," he replied with a wicked smile. "So the next question is, do I do it here or get you to a hospital?"

"A hospital? What is that? And who are you?"

"Don't you think that's a little irrelevant? You could be dying."

"How dare you! How dare you talk to me that way. Don't you know I'm a Princess?"

"I can tell," he nodded, which made her puff out her chest a little with pride. She flicked her long hair back over her shoulder.

"Oh really, how?"

"You're very rude."

She gasped. "How dare you..."

"Ahh to hell with it," he groaned, and grabbed the end of the arrow. "Slight pinch," he said and yanked it out. She screamed and he winced. "Okay, big pinch."

The girl stared at the bloodied arrow, back at House and then her eyes went back into her head and she promptly fainted.

"Ahh Christ," he hissed as he managed to catch her before she landed in a heap on the cold hard ground. He glanced at his surroundings and spotted what looked like what might've been her horse. He gave a whistle and the horse came running over to him.

He thanked his adolescence for having a friend who owned a ranch and taught him how to ride a horse. He never thought he'd get a chance again after they moved away some years later. He lifted the girl over his shoulder, mounted the horse and then took off, hoping he was going in the right direction. "Home, boy. Or girl. Whichever you are. Let's go."

The horse responded and took him through the forest to a clearing where he was able to see a very large castle. "God help me, what have I done?" he muttered as the horse took him forward. House saw what looked to be stables and was greeted by several men. "Who goes there?" two of them demanded, drawing their swords.

"I believe she belongs to you," House said, gesturing to the girl who was just now starting to awaken. When she saw him, her eyes widened and she looked around at the men below.

"He has not harmed me. Put your swords away."

The men bowed and put away their swords as a tall, white haired man stepped forward. "What happened?"

The man didn't have an accent, and for that House was relieved. Perhaps this man could give him some information.

"Shot with an arrow. I managed to take it out but..."

"You took it out? Are you crazy? The repercussions could be disastrous..."

"Don't get your pantaloons in a twist, old man," House chuckled. "I'm a doctor."

"So am I," the man said, standing a little straighter. "Dr. Emmett Von Braun."

"A medical doctor?" House inquired.

The man's demeanor gave him away. "I'm a student of the sciences."

"Do you have M.D. after your name?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then shut up. This girl needs medical attention."

"She's not just a girl, sir. She's the first heir to the throne of his Majesty, King Richard," one of the other men spoke up, looking proud.

"Blah blah blah. Is there a place where I can examine her, yes or no?"

"You can use my lab. Err, my workshop. I have a first-aid kit in there. Follow me," the white haired man said as he led them out of the stable and into a barn nearby.

"Wow, this is where you live?" House asked in awe as he looked around.

"It's not much, but I'm a simple man with simple means. It's all I need for now. I don't plan on staying long. Now, your Highness, have a seat on that cot right there and the doctor will see to you. What happened out there anyway?"

"Yeah, what did happen?" House asked her as he opened the kit to find it stacked with fairly modern supplies. Fairly modern meaning twentieth century. He glanced at the man and he shook his head, giving him to mean not to ask, so he didn't.

"Do you have a first name?" he asked the girl.

"Princess Althea, daughter of Richard, King of England and Ireland, and Queen Beatrice."

"Wow, all that, huh?"

"I beg your pardon, sir," she replied, haughtily and held her head up, until he attempted to lift her shirt and she slapped his hand away, causing him to sigh.

"How am I going to heal you if you don't let me check it out?"

"He's right," the man said. "It's okay, Princess."

She looked at the white haired man for a second, and then nodded, attempting to untie her corset at the front while the man turned away to give them privacy.

He dipped a cotton ball in some anticeptic and when he dabbed at the wound, she jerked away from his touch. "Ow! What is that?"

"I have to clean the wound before I can patch it up. It's not a big hole, you shouldn't need stitches."

"Stitches?" she asked.

"There are butterfly sutures in the kit," the white haired man called out from the other side of the barn.

"Great. I don't suppose you have a tetanus shot handy too, do you?"

"Actually yes. Hang on." A minute later, the man brought over a couple of sterile syringes and a vial. "Don't ask," he said, and prepared the syringe for House while he worked at closing the small puncture wound.

"You know my father is going to hear about this," Althea told him, her voice was as cold as her stare.

"I'm sure. Should I be scared? Is he going to send me to the scaffold? Or maybe the stocks?"

"I don't know. Do you deserve to be put to death? Are you just another ruffian like the men in the forest today?"

"God, no. I'm just..."

Emmett glanced at him with an arched eyebrow and House sighed. "I'm just passing through. I don't know how I ended up here but I don't plan on staying long. Providing your father lets me live."

Althea smiled. "Well, you saved me from certain death. I'm sure he'll be indebted to you for what you've done. I suppose I should thank you, sir."

"I should be the one thanking you, Princess. If you hadn't come along when you did and pulled me into that bush, those idiots would've killed me for sure and God knows what else."

"I guess that makes us even then," Althea said as she looked at him, somehow seeing him for the first time. He stared into her eyes, which were a light blue color, almost pale, with a dark ring around the outside.

She was a pretty little thing, for a kid. House was sure she couldn't be more than sixteen or seventeen. Definitely too young for the likes of him. On the other hand, she was definitely easy on the eyes, with a tiny figure and she looked to be in very good shape. Her long brown hair was wavy and hung in ringlets down her back and he found himself longing to touch it, but he refrained. He didn't want his head chopped off for touching the King's daughter.

When he finished up, he closed the kit. "I'm going to give you a tetanus shot now. It will ward off infection you might've gotten from the arrow. God only knows where that thing's been."

"Will it hurt?"

"Another slight pinch, I promise, this time," he grinned as he swabbed her arm and quickly injected her. "Done. You can go back to Daddy and tell him about the big bad man you met in the woods."

"Indeed I will," she said as she got up from her cot, curtsied to Emmett and then left the stable quickly.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" House demanded. "You have something to tell me, Von Braun? If that's your real name."

Emmett chuckled, made sure nobody was lurking, and closed the barn door. "It seems we're in a similar predicament, Doctor. What did you say your name was?"

"Gregory House."

Emmett's eyes widened. "_The_ Gregory House?"

"You know me?"

"I've read some of your articles on infectious diseases and the like. Very fascinating. So how did you end up here?"

"I don't know. One minute I was resting on my couch, the next I was lying in the middle of the forest. What about you? Clearly you don't belong here either."

Emmett chuckled. "That's a gross understatement."

"Well, I gather this is England. London?" House inquired and Emmett nodded. "Eighteenth century?"

"Seventeenth. It's 1666."

"Oh God," House groaned as he sank down onto the nearby cot and scratched his forehead. "This is bad. I've gotta get out of here."

"That makes two of us. I'm surprised I haven't been burned at the stake yet for heracy."

House paled at the very idea. He had a pretty good idea of the barbaric methods of torture and executions that were carried out in this time period, and he wanted no part of it. None at all.

"So how did you end up here?" he asked Emmett. "And is Von Braun, your real name?"

Emmett smiled. "Sort of. My ancestors are from Germany. They moved to the US in 1908 and changed the last name to Brown after the first world war."

House nodded. "And what brought you here?"

"My time machine malfunctioned. I intended to go to 1066 to see William the Conqueror, the computer put in 1666, and the car hit a tree on entry. I've been trying to repair it ever since."

House arched an eyebrow. "Time machine, huh? Normally I wouldn't believe you, but your first-aid kit with modern supplies tells me that maybe I should."

"I'll show it to you. But when it gets dark. I have it hidden someplace special."

"I can imagine. So now what?"

"I don't know, but be prepared to be called upon for an audience with His Majesty, the king. I give you maybe, oh, an hour before you're summoned to court."

"Goody. So, you and the Princess have something going?"

"What? No!" Emmett said, all too quickly for House's liking.

"Uh-huh. Right. That explains a lot. I saw the looks between you two just now. You're telling me that nothing's going on there?"

"Look at me, Greg—"

"House," he corrected.

"Fine. Look at me, _House_. In this day and age, I should be long since dead. I'm in my mid-sixties. "I'm old enough to be her grandfather two times over. She's just a kid. Not even eighteen. Jailbait. Do You get what I'm saying? And besides, she's already betrothed to the Duke. She'll be married soon."

"Does she like the guy?"

"No," Emmett smirked. "But that just makes it worse. She's basically going to the gallows by marrying him."

"How do you mean?"

"Once he gets her as his wife, she'll be a kept woman and she won't be able to do anything. He'll keep her locked up all nice and tight and she'll be trapped."

"Unless she doesn't marry him," House added.

"Right. And just how do you plan on stopping that?"

"How the hell should I know?" They sat in silence for a few moments. "So, what year are you from then?"

"2015, and 1985, respectively."

"What does that mean?"

Emmett narrowed his eyes. "I hope I can trust you, House. I can't afford to make any enemies while I'm here. I'm trying to get back to my own time and if you help me, I can help you get back to yours."

"Whatever lets me get out of here any sooner I'm all ears."

Emmett sat back and told House his story, about his time machine, about his best friend, Marty McFly and their adventures in 2015 before he left him behind in 1985.

"So you're stuck here just as much as I am," House said. "What is it you need to get the time machine working?"

"A new front end and some plastic parts to fix the fusion generator which fuels the flux capacitor."

"Huh?"

Emmett laughed. "When you see the time machine, I'll explain everything then. But now I think you need to make yourself look a little more presentable. Those clothes won't cut it."

"What do you suggest?"

Emmett pointed to his closet. "We're about the same size. Knock yourself out."

House got up and went rummaging through the closet before he found something to change into. As soon as he emerged, there was a knock at the door and two guards came in.

"His Majesty requests an audience," one of them said to House. "You will accompany us to the castle."

"If you insist," House shrugged and followed them outside.

"Good luck!" Emmett called after him and smiled. Finally he had an ally that he could hopefully trust.

X X

House was escorted through the halls of the castle and brought into what looked like a throne room where a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair sat next to a very attractive woman. She looked a lot like her daughter, but the king had more of a resemblance.

One of the men nodded to House, who quickly bowed, instantly hating all the pomp and circumstance that went with meeting such a figure.

"Your majesty," he said.

"State your name, sir."

"Gregory House."

"And how is it you came to be in our neck of the woods?"

"I got lost."

"That's not how my daughter, the princess, tells it."

"I'll bet," House muttered under his breath.

"Beg pardon, sir?"

"Actually it's Doctor."

The king's eyebrows went up. "You're a physician?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Well well," he said as he looked at his wife, who nodded. "I might just have employment for you."

"What kind of employment?" he asked, as if he didn't know.

"Our main physician is ill. The others say that he's very ill and not expected to live much longer. We could really use another physician. And from what my daughter tells me, you saved her life today."

House rolled his eyes. "With all due respect, your Majesty, it was just a flesh wound. The arrow didn't get deep enough to do any permanent damage. Thanks to Dr. B-Von Braun," he quickly corrected himself, "I was able to treat her injury and she's safe from harm."

"It was very impressive. I've never seen such handiwork. You're very skilled and that's just the type of physician we need in our kingdom."

"Again, that's not why I'm here, your Majesty."

"Then why are you?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well please consider my offer. I can offer you very respectful living arrangements and pay you handsomely for your services. It's the least I can do to repay you for saving my daughter's life."

"Huh," he said. "More like she saved mine."

"How do you figure that, sir?"

"She found me lying in the woods and dragged me to safety before some men showed up."

"Men?" the king asked, looking both worried and annoyed. "Althea didn't mention any men."

"Then how did she explain the arrow?" House inquired, starting to get a little impatient.

"She said she fell on it."

"Right. Well, your offer is very appealing but-"

"Please, Dr. House. I beseech you," the Queen finally spoke. "We need a fine doctor at court. You could save the lives of many. Especially when the sweating sickness returns."

House's interest was suddenly piqued. "Sweating sickness?"

"You have not heard of it?"

"Not in a long time. Cool."

The King and Queen looked confused, but house's mind was reeling as he began to reconsider the offer. Being in the castle would give him opportunities he never in a million years thought he'd have. He had heard of the sweating sickness but that was old news like the plague. Now to see it first hand and know how to treat it? That was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"Your Majesty, you've got yourself a physician."

The King and Queen smiled at each other and nodded. "You'll be seen to your quarters in the castle and you'll be given proper attire. You're very strangely dressed."

House looked down at the clothes he took from Emmett and chuckled. They did fit him kind of large.

"What am I supposed to wear?"

"I'll see to it that you get settled in. Mason!" he shouted, and a young man stepped forward. "See Dr. House to his new quarters and have him fitted for a proper wardrobe. And tonight, would you join us for supper?"

House nodded and bowed, trying to come up with a valid response. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Mason ushered House to follow him. They went through the castle and up some stairs to a very lavish looking suite. "I hope this meets your approval."

House looked around. "Nice. I think I'll manage okay."

"Very good. I'll send up a tailor to measure you for your uniform," he said and before House could ask, he was gone.

"What? Uniform?"

House looked around and stared at the large four poster bed in the middle of the room. Oh, the damage he could do with that. He planned to make use of that bed and not sleep alone too often if he could help it. The only problem was that there was no contraception in that time, save for abstinence, which clearly wouldn't do.

"Fuck it. With any luck i won't be here long," he said to himself. There was a knock at the door and a man entered carrying what looked like a black robe and some kind of black cap.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, staring at it. "I'll look like a monk."

"Nay," the man said, looking at House with contempt. "Monks wear brown."

"Oh well pardon me. You don't really expect me to wear this do you?"

"Tis what all physicians in court wear."

"Uh-huh. Whatever," he sighed as he took the garment and put it on. When he stared art himself in the mirror, he actually thought he looked cool. "This isn't half bad. I look bad ass."

"Do you wish to shave?"

"No. You can go. But I'm hungry. Where do I go to eat?"

"I'll have food brought. Dinner is at six O'clock in the dining hall. You're to wear your uniform at all times, thus everyone knows your station and that you are indeed a physician. Should the need arise, we'll know where to find you."

House nodded. "Great. I'll be needing some wine."

"Indeed."

House was left alone and he went to the window and looked out at the courtyard below. He saw Althea sitting on a bench reading a book while she munched on some grapes. She seemed so content he didn't want to disturb her. A moment later, someone came in with a tray carrying wine and other assorted breads and cheeses.

"Enjoy, Doctor," the man said as he bowed and walked backwards out of the room. House stifled a laugh as he found the man's behavior to be hilarious. If doctors were treated with the same respect as royalty, being the King's physician was something he could definitely get used to.

After his snack, and some wine, which gave him quite a buzz, he went downstairs to the courtyard and stood in front of Althea until she looked up.

"How's your flesh wound, Princess?"

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "It's very well. Thank you. And I believe a congratulations are in order. I hear you are the new head physician."

"Thanks to you for singing my praises." He pointed to the empty space next to her. "Do you mind?"

She looked at him, then at the empty space, and shook her head, looking a little unsure of him.

"You know, you don't have to be afraid of me."

"You're a stranger in this land. And yet my father welcomes you at court without so much as an inquiry as to who you are or where you're from."

He shrugged. "I guess having a competent doctor was more important to him than where I came from. Does that bother you?"

"I suppose you think I owe you for saving me. Well you can get that thought out of your head right now, sir. I do not give sexual favors!"

House laughed. "Who said I wanted sexual favors? Or any favors. I don't even know you and you don't know me. And here I thought you were a maiden."

"I am a maiden!" she fumed as she stood up and clutched the book she was reading. "I am betrothed!"

"So? That doesn't mean anything. You could be betrothed yet not be untouched. Are you a tease?"

"I beg your pardon?" she gasped.

"Have you ever kissed a man?" he asked.

"That is none of your business!"

"So that would be a no, then?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you never answered the question. Is your betrothed a homosexual or something? He won't even kiss you?"

"Anthony is not that kind of man!" she hissed. "He's a man of great importance and stature."

"That doesn't mean he wouldn't try to lure you into his bed every chance he got. God knows I would if you were engaged to me. As soon as you said yes I'd have you in my bed behind closed doors within minutes."

Althea blushed three shades of red and she was clearly speechless. _How dare he!_ she thought to herself. _Didn't he know he wasn't allowed to talk to her in such a way?_

"If I were you, sir, I would be careful how you speak to me in the future. My father would not take kindly to your words."

"What?" he laughed . "Gonna tell on me? Go ahead."

She looked confused. "You wish me to tell my father all the things you say?"

He shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. But my guess is that he won't believe you. You're just a kid. It's my word over yours and I can be very convincing. So, when's the big day?" he asked, hoping to change the topic and learn more about her.

"The big day?"

"Yeah. When are you getting married?"

"In three weeks. The wedding will be here in the castle. Everyone in nobility will be there. It'll be the biggest wedding in history," she boasted, looking proud.

"Uh-huh. Do you love him?"

She turned beet red. "I will not discuss such things with you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going. I have an art lesson."

"Enjoy."

He watched her leave and chuckled to himself. he was about to go himself when a young lady caught his eye who was sitting on the grass playing a guitar. She flashed him a very dazzling smile, which he returned, and beckoned him to join her. He made his way over to her and sat down on the blanket.

"You are new at court," she said, her voice was soft but her accent gave her an elegance.

"Yes. Just arrived today. What's your name?"

"Ruth. I am a lady in waiting to Her Majesty."

"Interesting. And what does a lady in waiting do?"

She giggled. "I wait."

House grinned and stole a grape from her bowl nearby. "For?"

"I assist her Majesty with many things throughout the day. But today is my day off."

"Oh, so you're a lady of leisure today."

"Yes."

"Well, Ruth, I'm Greg. The new head physician."

"Doctor," she smiled. "May I ask you something?"

"You can ask me _anything_," he whispered, putting emphasis on anything.

"Is it true that doctors know more about sexual relations than regular people?"

House grinned wider. "I like to think so. Why? Are you looking to further your education?"

She smiled and let her fingers trace invisible patterns on his arm. "I might be. The men in the kingdom, they know naught about pleasing a woman."

"What a shame," House said. "Do you live in the castle?"

"Yes," she smiled again. "I believe you have met my cousin, Althea."

House narrowed his eyes at her. "Your cousin? I'm guessing you're the more uh advanced cousin?"

She giggled. "Althea is but a girl. I am a woman. Do you prefer women, Dr. Greg?"

House chuckled. "Yes, as a matter of fact."

"Perhaps we could meet after supper? Somewhere more private."

"I think that's a very good idea."

"Where are your quarters?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure. Upstairs, in a tower."

"I'll come find you."


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: There be smut in this chapter :) Just sayin...**_

**_Also, thanks goes out to Visitkarte for the PM about condom alternatives in 1666 :) Duly noted :)_  
**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**London, England, 1666**

Supper was quite the grand event. House was seated at the table with the King and Queen as their special guest, along with Althea, and a few others he didn't know, nor did he care who they were. Every course was brought out with some ceremony. There was every kind of meat imaginable, prepared in very creative ways. The wine was never ending and at the end of it all, House was very nicely drunk and so stuffed he could barely move.

"I trust your quarters are satisfactory?" the King asked House.

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty," he said, trying to keep the slur out of his voice.

"My castle is your castle. You are free to go wherever you like, but must respond when you're needed."

House resisted the urge to roll his eyes and nodded. "Yes, of course."

A page approached House and placed a folded note on the table. "A message from Dr. Von Braun, Doctor."

"Uhh, thanks," House nodded to the boy and unfolded the note. It was handwritten in pig latin.

_eetm em ta ym abl ta 10 onightt. _

_-ELB_

"How odd," the Queen said to her husband, "that he should receive a note from the blacksmith."

"We met this afternoon, Your Majesty," House said to her as he read the note quickly and folded it back up. "He helped me tend to your daughter, the Princess."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He did? And how, pray tell, did he do that?"

House had to think fast. "He had the necessary supplies in his workshop. I guess he keeps them in case he injures himself on the job, your Majesty."

That explanation seemed to please her and she nodded, turning her attention back to her husband while he felt someone else giving him the eye. He looked over and saw Ruth giving him an impish smile, which he returned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively for effect, then suddenly noticed Althea, who was seated across from him, scowling.

"Something wrong, Princess?" he inquired as he finished off his glass of wine before someone came along and promptly refilled it again. Oh yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

"A little young for you, isn't she, Doctor House?"

"Jealous?"

She looked appalled and then blushed as red as her gown. "Of her? Not at all. In fact, if you choose to fraternize with someone beneath you then by all means."

He arched an eyebrow. "Someone beneath me? Wow! I didn't realize you held me with such high regard."

Althea blushed even more. "My father is quite taken with you. You might as well be his prodigal son. I've never," she said, and then let her voice trail off as she reached for her wine glass.

"Go on," he encouraged, "you've never what?"

"I've never seen him take such a keen interest in a complete stranger before," she said, her voice soft.

"Only those who save his daughter from bad guys, I guess. Lucky me. I guess that means I won't find my head on a chopping block anytime soon, huh?"

"Don't get too comfortable, sir. You just got here." And with that, she got up and excused herself.

X X X

House had gotten out of his uniform and stood at the window looking out at the courtyard below wearing only his boxer shorts and a linen robe that hung open.

He heard the door creak open and smiled to himself as his conquest arrived in his bedchamber. "I thought her Majesty would never retire," she groaned as she closed the door behind her and bolted it.

House turned around and she took him in, starting at his feet, up his muscular legs, lingering at his shorts and then up to his face. Apparently pleased with what she saw, she sauntered across the room towards him while he stood there and waited for her.

"Did anyone see you?"

"Nay," she shook her head and placed her hands on his chest as her long nails raked over his nipples. Then she looked up at him and smiled. He slid his hands down her arms and around her waist, admiring how the tops of her breasts almost spilled out of the top of her dress and he lowered his head to kiss each one. She giggled at the way his scruff tickled the sensitive skin but threw her head back to expose her neck to him, which he devoured.

Her hand slid down his chest and over the slight bulge in his shorts, which instantly perked up a little more at her touch as he continued to kiss and nibble her neck. "Oh my, you are a very big man, aren't you?"

"Wanna see how big, little girl?" he growled as he watched her shove his shorts down his legs and stepped out of them as she got down on her knees and took him into her mouth in one swift movement. He hissed as he buried his fingers in her long hair and bucked his hips into her mouth. She glanced up at him and he smiled down at her. "I guess that would be a yes?"

She seemed to smile, which proved to be quite a feat considering his cock was almost all the way down her throat and he grabbed onto the nearest table for support.

"You're very good at that," he hissed as he leaned against the table as well, watching her head bob up and down as he scraped the back of her throat. Damn! She didn't seem to have any sort of gag reflex and at that point he felt like he'd died and gone to heaven as she took his balls in her hand and gently massaged them.

"Oh God, yes!" he hissed and started bucking his hips a little. He was starting to get close, and he didn't want to end that way so he backed away from her and she looked up at him in confusion. "Not this way," he whispered as he looked toward the bed. She seemed to get his meaning and untied the front of her dress, loosening her corset and letting her breasts pop free from the restricting garment. "Very nice," he said as he stepped closer to examine her very nice, but not too big, breasts. They were so perky and round, and if this had been the twenty-first century, he would've sworn she paid good money for them. But no, her assets were definitely a gift from God. He bent down and took one of her pink nipples into his mouth, suckling on it to turn it into a hard nub. She gasped and placed her hands on his shoulders for support as he paid the same attention to the other one.

"Mmmm," she hummed as she stepped back until her legs hit the end of the mattress and she sat down on the bed with his mouth still attached to her breast. He pulled away and slid his hands up her dress, felt the heat from her core and let his fingers discover her wet folds. She gasped once more and fell back, gripping the sheets as he flipped her dress up and stood between her legs. He grabbed the waistband of her panties and gave a hard tug, pulling them down her legs and spread her wide open before diving in.

"Greg!" she gasped as his tongue lapped her core, taking in her sweetness and teasing her nub with his fingers. "Oh God! No man has ever done this to me. Oh Yes! Don't stop!" she grunted as she began thrusting her hips against his face. House continued to lick and suckle her clit as he inserted two fingers into her and curled them, finding her G-spot, and made her scream. When she was still coming down from that mind blowing orgasm, he moved on top of her and pressed his entire length inside of her. She was very wet and she grunted when he began to thrust hard. "Oh God!" she screamed as she scratched her nails down his back and broke the skin.

His thrusts were powerful as they pushed her across the bed until her head was hanging over the side and her legs wrapped securely around his waist to keep him close and deep.

She screamed and went completely limp underneath him as he gave a few more hard thrusts and then came to his own climax. He then pulled her close so her head wasn't hanging off the side of the bed anymore. After lying there for a few minutes, he checked his watch. It was almost ten O'clock and time to meet Emmett. "I'm hungry again," he sighed as he sat up and collected the robe that was lying in a heap on the floor.

"I'll have some food brought," she suggested as she sat up, still almost fully clothed.

"I like to eat alone," he said as he tied the robe to cover himself and then pulled his shorts back on. "I'm going to the kitchen. You can go back to your Queen now," he said and then laughed at the look of rejection on her face. He stopped and stared at her. "You're still here?"

She quickly gathered her belongings, her face red with embarrassment. "What? Did you think I was going to marry you after a roll in the sack?" he laughed. Might as well get rid of her now so she wouldn't bother him again in the future. As good as she was at giving head, the sex wasn't all that spectacular. Once he was decent, he left her alone in his room and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. The room was dark but he managed to find an apple and as he was leaving, bumped into someone. That someone being Althea.

"I beg your pardon," the voice, which was female, apologized. "It was dark and..."

"It's fine," House said as he held her arm to ensure she didn't fall over. He did shoulder check her pretty hard. "You okay?"

She looked at him in confusion. "Okay? What is the meaning of that?"

He rolled his eyes. He was really going to have to get used to the slang and lingo of that time period. Okay was not okay.

"I mean are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, thank you."

"Good."

Althea looked him up and down in what he had on and smirked. "Getting ready to retire for the evening, doctor?" she inquired.

He smiled at her. "I am now. I suddenly um, worked up an appetite."

Althea blushed, understanding his meaning and backed away until she was out of the room entirely.

Shaking his head in wonder, he returned to his room and changed clothes to meet Emmett at his workshop near the stable. As soon as he arrived, Emmett took one look at him and shook his head.

"What?" House demanded.

"Nothing."

"No, not nothing. What's that look about?"

"You're late."

House glanced at his watch and saw it was already a quarter past ten. "So?"

"I said ten."

"Boo hoo. So I was late. I uh, had something to do."

"Or _someone,_ judging by the shit eating grin on your face."

House merely grinned. "Jealous, old man?"

"Not at all. If you want to screw everything with a pulse that's your business. But I will warn you that sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies still exist in 1666. I don't have enough penicillin for the whole Kingdom."

"Pfft whatever. I don't need a lecture. I'm a big boy."

"I wasn't lecturing you, Greg. Merely just warning you to be careful. Anyway, let's go. I need your help to get the time machine back in here."

House's eyes widened. "You're going to bring it back here? Isn't that kind of dangerous? What if someone sees it?"

"They wouldn't know what it is. And if they ask, I'll just say it's something I'm working on to help us fight wars. I'll tell them it will eventually be a weapon. Now let's go." He handed House a lantern, grabbed his own and beckoned House to follow him. They walked in the woods for about twenty minutes before they came upon what looked like a pile of branches. Emmett starting pulling the branches away until he revealed what looked like a stainless steel DeLorean with the front grill bashed in like it had come in contact with a tree.

"Holy crap! You built a time machine out of a DeLorean? Cool." House ran his hand over it. "I've never seen one of these up close before. They're awesome."

Emmett nodded and opened the gull-wing door and put it in gear. "I need you to push this thing back to my workshop."

"Me?" House laughed. "Why me?"

"You're younger and in better shape than I am."

House couldn't argue with that and started pushing. The car moved pretty easily through the woods with Emmett steering and they managed to get it through the large double doors of his workshop and covered it with a large tarp that he kept in the trunk. Once it was secured with bungee cords, Emmett nodded and then attempted to explain how the time machine worked. "All we have to do is fix the grill and make sure there's no other significant damage which would cause the machine to malfunction while it's traveling through time."

"We?" House laughed.

Emmett arched his eyebrow. "I'm assuming you want to get back to your own time."

"Well duhh."

"If you help me, I'll make sure you get there. But this has to be very secret. Do we have a deal?" he asked, extending his hand to House.

House looked at the hand, hesitated, and then shook it. "Deal."

"Okay good. There are just a few things you have to be careful of while you're here. One, you could drastically change the future. As a doctor you have to be very careful. You could cause someone to live or die that shouldn't have. It could cause a serious paradox in the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe."

House nodded. "Check. What else?"

Emmett's eyes widened. "This isn't a game, Greg! I'm talking serious repercussions here," and went on to tell him about his friend Marty meeting his parents in 1955 and then about the sports almanac and alternate timelines.

"Yeah okay, I get it. No interfering."

"Good. I'll tell you the rest as we go along. It's getting late and I'm going to bed. We should meet here every night at ten and work on the time machine. The sooner the better. In the meantime, try not to impregnate some poor girl."

House smirked. "It'll be tough but I'll try. What about you?"

Emmett blinked. "What about me?"

"How long have you been here?"

"A few months."

"And you haven't fallen prey to the charm of the young ladies in the kingdom?"

"No, I, unlike you, have some measure of control over my hormones."

"Too much control. Haven't you ever just decided to let loose and do something crazy?"

"Of course. But that didn't involve underage girls."

"Not even ones who were interested in you?"

Emmett scoffed at that. "I'm not exactly Paul Newman. I'm not as attractive as you, or as young. Everyone around here sees me as the 'old man who works as a blacksmith for the king," and they expect me to drop dead any minute because, in this time, I should be long dead for my age."

"How old are you?"

"Sixty-six. Hell, I'm old enough to be _your_ father and old enough to be Althea's forefather."

House caught that last remark and ran with it. "Ah-ha! I knew it!" he said, pointing at Emmett in the chest. "You do like her. Oh man, you're in trouble."

"What are you talking about? I haven't said I wanted to do anything with her."

"Oh really? So you're telling me that if she came to your bed in the middle of the night begging for it, you'd turn her away?"

When Emmett didn't answer right away, House laughed. "That's what I thought. And here's the amusing part, it wouldn't surprise me if she did. I saw the looks between you two."

Emmett shook his head. "As much as I care about her, it would never happen. She has more sense than to go climbing into my bed." Then he glared at House. "Or yours."

"Mine? She hates me. I bumped into her in the kitchen while I was getting a snack and she more or less told me I was degrading myself by sleeping with the help."

"Well, you kind of are," Emmett shrugged. "You're the King's prodigal son. You should be screwing a Duchess or something."

House merely grinned. "Eventually. I'm working my way up the ranks."

"Just remember what I said. The pill doesn't exist in 1666 and I doubt you have enough condoms to go around. Of course...you could always visit the butcher in town. He could probably make you some."

House scratched his head. "Hmm...I didn't think of that. He could use a sheep's appendix..."

Emmett nodded. "Precisely."

"Thanks for the tip. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow night. Same time, same place?"

"Yeah," Emmett nodded. "Good night, Greg."

"Just call me House. Everyone else does."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**London, 1666**

"The boyfriend's back, I see," House muttered as he sat on the windowsill of his chambers and watched the excitement below.

The page who was responsible for House's bath looked at him in confusion? "Doctor?"

"The moron that the Princess is supposed to marry."

"Aye," the page nodded. "Tis the Duke of Cambridge. Tonight is the official engagement party. There will be much feasting this day and next."

"What do you know about him? Is he a good guy?"

The page made a face. "He's a dandified buffoon."

House laughed. "Wow. Tell me how you really feel."

"He's not worth the paper I use to wipe my own arse."

House was practically in stitches at that point. "Okay okay, I get the picture."

"Your bath is ready, Doctor. Ring when you are done and I will come take it away."

"Thank you."

House slipped into the hot water and sighed. He'd make sure he'd take a nice long one to make it worth the effort. It was painful watching several men come in with large buckets of steaming water and fill the tub when he would have taken a shower in that time and gotten dressed.

Once he finished, he got dressed and went down to the courtyard to see what all the excitement was about. Althea was there, dressed in her finery looking like she was at a funeral. "You look thrilled, Princess," he whispered to her. She whirled around and glared at him.

"You know nothing."

"I know that you don't want to marry this idiot. I mean look at him."

House glanced at the younger man, dressed to the nines in what looked like his Sunday best. His blonde hair was perfect, and his face was as smooth as a baby's behind. He wasn't a bad looking guy, and reminded him a little of Chase, only with much more arogance than he deserved.

"You wouldn't know anything about him," Althea hissed, staring at the Duke and smiling her fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I don't have to know. I can tell just by looking at him. If I wore clothes like that I'd have to kick my own ass."

She stormed off with her nose in the air and House merely snickered as she watched the two of them talk quietly. The Duke glanced over at House and then nodded in his direction before making his way over.

"Dr. House, I presume?" the man said. "Althea's told me a lot about you."

"That's funny," House said as he cocked his head to one side. "She didn't mention anything about you."

The duke extended his hand to House. "I am Anthony Ducette, Duke of Cambridge."

House stared at his hand like it was poison and Anthony lowered it.

"Dr. Gregory House."

"Oh yes, you're the famous doctor I've heard so much about. They say you've saved a lot of lives in your short time here."

"And I plan to save a lot more. Doesn't say much for the doctors that are already here, does it?"

"Rumor has it that his majesty is planning to elevate you."

"Elevate me?" House asked with an arched eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

Althea smiled at House. "It means he wishes to make you a Knight."

"Really? That's news to me, and seems kind of silly but whatever floats his boat."

Anthony and Althea exchanged confused glances and then he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Go get me some wine, Althea."

She hurried away and Anthony smiled at House. "Are you married, Doctor?"

"No."

"Well you best stay away from a maiden like Althea. She's not for the likes of you."

"And why's that"

"The dregs of society shouldn't mix with royal Princesses, that's why."

"So then what are you doing with her?" House snapped back. Anthony fumed, clearly not used to being talked to in such a way.

"You'd be wise to curb your tongue, doctor House. If you want your head to remain on your broad shoulders."

"My head is just fine. I'm employed by the King. You don't scare me, kid. I've eaten pieces of shit like you for breakfast. Threaten me all you want, but I will tell you this. That little girl over there isn't going to stand for being ordered around much longer. If I were you, I'd treat her like the Princess she is and give her the respect she deserves, or you'll find yourself without a wife, or a head." House wandered off and found Emmett in the crowd. "What a fucking pansy ass," he cursed. "She has to marry that pathetic excuse for a man? I mean seriously?"

Emmett nodded. "She was apparently betrothed to him as a child of seven. It's her father's wish and so it will be done."

"Not if I can help it."

XXX

It was the middle of the night when someone shook House awake. "Dr. House," the voice whispered loudly. "Dr. House wake up! Please!"

The voice pleading him was female so he opened one eye and looked at Althea. She had tears streaked down her face.

He rubbed his hand over his face and propped himself up on his elbows. "What's wrong?"

"It's my mother, the Queen. She's very sick. You need to come now and help her."

He nodded and got up, grabbing his black uniform and slipping it over his head. "Let's go."

He followed her through the castle to her mother's bedchamber where the Queen lay in bed, blood down the front of her nightgown. "What's happening?"

"I coughed and there was so much blood," the queen explained, her eyes glassy. House took her pulse, but he already had his suspicions. After doing the other diagnostic tests, he sighed.

The first thing he noticed, and he didn't know how he missed it, was how much weight she'd lost since he'd seen her a week ago. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. It's tuberculosis."

Everyone in the room looked confused by this so House shook his head. "Consumption."

There was a round of gasps in the room, signifying that they all knew what that meant.

"How did she get this?"

"She could have picked it up from someone else who had it. If they sneezed or coughed on her. But that's what it is, and there is no cure." He looked at Althea, and then at the king. "I'm sorry. There's nothing more I can do."

"There has to be something!" the king shouted as he made his way over to House. "Isn't there any medicine?"

"I can give her something for the pain, to keep her comfortable, but that won't cure her illness. It's already much past that."

He excused himself to get some of the herbs they kept on-hand for that kind of thing and administered them. "This will help her sleep. It won't be much longer now."

Althea watched him as he tended to her mother, seeing a completely different side of him that she was used to. He'd been in their kingdom for over a month now and she couldn't deny the fact that he fascinated her to no end. Something that Anthony had failed to do. Hell, Anthony failed at everything. He might've been attractive, but he wasn't a smart man, and relied heavily on his title to get him anywhere.

Gregory House was a mystery. She knew of his poor bedside manner with patients and yet he always managed to cure them. Sometimes they ended up in much better shape than when they went to see him.

He left shortly, whispered to the other attending doctors, who nodded their heads in understanding, and went outside for some fresh air.

"There's really nothing you can do?" she asked him.

"Nope. No cure for consumption. I'm surprised your mother didn't tell me about any symptoms before. She must've been in a lot of pain. So either she has a high tolerance for that kind of thing, or she's an idiot. But I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and say it's the former."

"How dare you talk that way about the Queen!"

House rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do? I don't have an answer. I don't know how she managed to hide this from me for so long. But then I don't see her much at all so I guess I just missed it. Didn't you notice anything? Bad cough, flu-like symptoms?"

She shook her head sadly. "I thought it was just some kind of stomach illness. But when she vomited the blood I knew something was very wrong and that's when I came to find you. I knew if anyone had the answers it was you. But even you can't save her."

"Nope. It's out of my hands, I'm afraid."

She looked so lost, and so sad that when he turned to her she immediately ran into his arms. He didn't know what else to do except wrap his arms around her and let her cry it out.

"Oh, Dr. House," she sobbed. "This is so awful."

She smelled of soap and pine, and she fit perfectly in his arms. He didn't know why, but it felt good to hold her that close as he tried to be reassuring.

"Even the healthiest people get sick from time to time. Sometimes they get better, sometimes they don't."

"What is the meaning of this!?" a loud male voice bellowed. "Althea! Get back!"

Althea startled and jumped back from House as if someone had splashed cold water on them. The Duke of Cambridge stood in the doorway, trying his best to look menacing.

"And you, do not ever touch her again or you'll find yourself in the tower so fast it will make your head spin."

House was about to snap back with a witty retort but Althea held him back. "No, Dr. House. You don't have to leave."

"I need to speak to his Majesty," he said as he slipped back into the room, but stayed near the door so he could listen in.

"You will never do that again, Althea," the Duke's voice was deep and menacing. "You are betrothed to me, and you will behave accordingly. You will honor and obey me, or so help me God, I'll have his head, along with his other privy parts up on display in the courtyard. Then we'll see how much you think of him."

"He did nothing wrong, Anthony!" she spat back, earning a hard slap across her face. House came back out into the hall and his fist met with Anthony's chin, knocking him to the ground.

He stood in front of Althea and shielded her. "Get up, you fucking coward! Does it make you feel like a big man? Hitting women because you're threatened by them? If you wanna hit someone, hit me, but I will hit back."

Anthony scrambled to his feet and instead of hitting House, he grabbed Althea and pulled her away. "We're going. Right now!"

He watched them go and sighed before going back into the bedroom where the Queen slept.

"Thank you, Doctor House," the King said softly. "For doing everything you could for the Queen."

"I only wish I could do more." House went over to the queen and took her pulse. It was painfully slow. "You'll want to stay here, your Majesty. It won't be much longer. I'm sorry."

The King nodded and took his place next to his wife's bedside, reaching for her hand. "What am I going to do without her? How will I continue to raise our daughter?"

"You'll manage. Althea is very bright. But if it pleases his majesty, may I ask a question?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"Why must she marry the Duke?"

"It will align the kingdoms and make them one."

"And she has to marry him to make that happen?"

"If she does not, there could be war."

"If I may speak freely, I don't mean to intrude but I saw the Duke strike her just now."

The king's face was murderous. "He did what?"

"He arrived as I was comforting your daughter out in the corridor and he threatened to have my head. She was upset and she needed to be held so I held her. It was innocent, I promise your Majesty. But he showed up and misunderstood."

"I'll speak with him and I'll straighten everything out, don't worry."

House nodded. "She doesn't love him, nor will she ever. But that's strictly my opinion. Nothing more."

"Thank you, Doctor House. You've done some excellent work since you've come here. I would like to do you the honor of elevating you to a Knight."

House blinked. So it was true. "His Majesty is very kind but..."

"It's an honor, Dr. House. Oh, and you'll no longer have to wear the traditional doctor's attire. As a knight you may wear whatever you wish. Be in my throne room on the morrow at ten-thirty sharp."

House nodded and bowed before saying goodnight and leaving the room.

He went up to his chambers, got undressed and fell asleep almost instantly, dreaming of the next day.

At ten-thirty, he was standing in front of the king.

"Gregory House, I dub thee Sir Gregory House and bestow all privileges that such title comes with." He touched each of House's shoulders with the sword and then placed a very large gold necklace around his neck. "Arise Sir Gregory."

There were a few claps as the king kissed both of Greg's cheeks. "I was with my wife when she passed. Thank you for making her last hours pleasant."

House merely nodded and then walked away, not looking at Althea as he passed, or noticing the mark on her cheek from where the Duke had hit her the night before.

Two days later was the funeral of Her Majesty at Westminster Abbey. House stood next to Emmett and looked around to see who else was there.

"Why isn't the King at his wife's funeral?" he asked.

"The king doesn't attend funerals or executions. It might cause someone to think the King dead, which is treason."

It made sense to House and he nodded. "Same goes for Althea?"

"She's here," Emmett said. "Up there, on the balcony."

House glanced up and saw her sitting with Anthony, but she was looking at House, not the processional taking place below her.

"Did you hear about her little incident with the Duke the other night?" House asked Emmett.

"No, what happened?"

"She needed someone. I was there, so I hugged her. Then that pansy ass showed up and threatened to send me to the tower, then when Althea told him nothing had happened, he smacked her around."

Emmett looked shocked. "He didn't..."

"Yes, he did. Didn't you wonder where she got that shiner?"

"I haven't seen her at all these last few days. Son of a..."

"Yeah."

"Well, let me at least congratulate you on your uprising. The King doesn't elevate just anyone."

"Thanks. I'm not sure what to make of it but whatever. If it saves me from God knows what, I'll enjoy it. What can I do as a knight, anyway?"

"About the same as anyone else. You should have gotten a sword."

House pointed to the one attached to his belt. "It's nice not having to wear that stupid black hat and dress all the time now."

"I can imagine. So, what lovely lady will you take to your bed next?"

House shook his head. "I've been thinking about what you said, about planting my seed all over the place. And you're right. I shouldn't be hooking up with everyone."

Emmett nodded. "I knew you'd see reason. And yet, I think you have your eyes on a certain young lady."

"No, not really. She's spoken for. And I don't play ball on a full field."

"Like hell. Look, House," Emmett said, "I realize I'm an old man, but I think you'd do well with the Princess. She might seem like a cold fish, but you could warm her up."

"Why would I do that? She hates me."

"But she let you hold her."

"She was grieving and I was the only one around. She could've just as easily gone to her father for support."

"And yet she chose you."

House shrugged. "I'm not going to read anything into it. I was simply there for her. Nothing happened except a hug, which was quickly interrupted when the Duke showed up. How old is he anyway?"

Emmett thought for a minute. "Hmm if I had to estimate, I'd say maybe in his mid to late forties."

"So he's older than me. Interesting."

"How old are you?"

"I just turned forty before I came here."

Emmett nodded. "Were you, or are you married?"

"No. But I live with someone. She's a lawyer. What about you?"

"Nope. No wife, no girlfriend. Nothing. It's one of those wonders of the universe I'll probably never figure out."

"Oh I don't know. I think there's someone for everyone. Who knows? She could be here. In this time."

"Well if she is, I haven't met her yet."

They waited until the end of the funeral and House was heading outside when he spotted a woman looking at him. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and she was nearly as beautiful as Althea.

"Who's that?" House asked Emmett.

"That's Charlotte, Althea's older sister. She's a widow. Never remarried. She lives in the east wing of the tower. Kind of a recluse."

House looked at her and gave one of his most charming smiles that have been known to melt a woman in seconds, and then mounted his horse to head back to the castle with Emmett.

Charlotte watched him with interest as he rode off, determined to know more about the handsome doctor.

XXX

House sat outside with a guitar that someone let him borrow. He was bored beyond belief and it was his day off. What else was there to do? As he sat and strummed some chords, he saw the shadow of someone approaching. It was Charlotte, Althea's sister.

She was pretty, looking somewhat like Althea, only with blonde hair, not brown, but her eyes were green as well. She also had more curves than Althea did. Curves which House appreciated.

"Hello," she said, her voice soft. She was a little timid, but she was smiling at him.

"Hi. And what's your name?" he asked as he moved over on the bench and made room for her to sit.

"I am Charlotte. Althea's older sister. But then, you probably knew that already."

House grinned. "What makes you think that?"

"I've heard you've made it your business to know everything about everyone in the kingdom and that you're a brilliant medical mind."

"Uh-huh. What else have you heard?"

"That you have no problem taking women to your bed."

House laughed at that. "Well I still try to be selective."

"Yes, I've heard that too. May I join you, Sir Gregory?"

He shrugged and gestured to the empty space next to him. "Do you play any instruments?" he asked her.

"The flute," she nodded. "And the piano."

"Nice. So do I."

"Perhaps we can put on a concert for his Majesty, my father," she suggested. "He loves music."

That was the last thing House wanted to do, but he didn't say that. "Maybe. I don't know if you'd like any of my songs though."

She frowned. "What kind of songs do you play?"

"Blues, mostly."

"Blues," she repeated. "Like, sad songs?"

"Not really sad just melancholy, I guess. They're good songs though. You might like them. Can you sing?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I can't."

"Have you ever tried?"

Charlotte laughed. "Heavens, yes. I was told to stick to the piano and the flute."

House nodded in understanding as he began to play a song. When he was finished, she clapped.

"So I hear you're a widow," he said.

"Aye," she nodded. "He died in battle. He was a soldier."

"Sorry."

"Tis alright. He died honorably, serving his country."

"Ever thought about marrying again?"

"No. I just can't bring myself to fall in love with someone again, only to lose him."

"There's a simple solution to that. Don't marry a soldier."

She smiled at him. "Yes, that would certainly make sense. You're very smart, Sir Gregory. I can see why my Father adores you. You helped him deal with the death of my Mother. He grieves, but not as badly."

"That's good. Will he ever marry again?"

"Yes, I believe he will. Tis the way it is. The King will need to take a wife, and produce an heir. A boy, preferably."

"Won't that ruin your hopes of being queen?"

"I have no desire to be queen. I do not want that much responsibility. I believe Althea would make a much better Queen than I. But if father remarries and has a son, he will be be King when my father dies."

"Huh. Sounds pretty shitty to me."

Charlotte cocked her head to one side. "What does that mean? Shitty? Is it an American word?"

House chuckled. "I guess you could say that."

"I see. Well, I must go now. Tis time for lunch. Would you care to accompany me, Sir Gregory? Perhaps we could spend the afternoon at the piano. You could teach me one of your Blues songs."

He nodded. "Food sounds good. Lead the way, Princess."

X X X

"I thought your sister was getting married this week," House said to Charlotte as they sat side by side in the courtyard.

"She was, but it has been postponed. The Duke had other business to attend to that was more important."

"More important than her? Wow. I see where his priorities lie."

"You don't think work is important?"

"Well, yeah, of course. But I wouldn't let it interfere with getting married, especially not to someone like Althea. What do you think of him?"

"The Duke?"

"Yeah."

"I think he's an overbearing pompous, blustering windbag."

"Yes, that seems to be the opinion of most people. And the King consents to handing his daughter off to that prick?"

"Prick?"

"Moron, jerk, imbecile," House supplied.

"Ah, yes. All those."

Charlotte looked at him and smiled. "I like you, Sir Gregory."

"I like you too," he said, nodding. He certainly wasn't expecting her to lean over and kiss him, but she did, and it wasn't at all unpleasant. In fact, it was quite erotic. Her teeth grazed over his tongue as it entered her mouth to explore. That's when they heard a gasp and pulled apart to see Althea standing there, staring at them.

"Yes? May I help you?" he asked her with a pleasant smile.

"You! With my own sister?" Althea gasped.

"Um, she kissed me. Second, what do you care? You're marrying the Duke of Asshood."

"Althea," Charlotte sighed as she stood up. "It was just a kiss, sister."

"Didn't look like just a kiss to me!" she said and stormed off.

"Let her go," House told her. "I don't know what she's so upset about. It's not like she and I have even..."

"Haven't you?"

"No. I don't take other men's women. I do have morals, you know." He got up and looked down at her. "You know where to find me if you need me."

XXX

House was in a sound sleep when he felt the bed move and the covers ruffle. He rolled onto his back and looked up to see Charlotte standing next to his bed. "Mm...changed your mind I see," he said as he reached for her and pulled her into the bed next to him.

"I never changed my mind. I simply got sidetracked. But if Althea finds out..."

"Hush, hush sweet harlot," he whispered, pressing his finger to her lips. "Err, I mean Charlotte," House corrected himself as he looked sheepish, but not exactly embarrassed about his mistake. "Don't worry about her. She doesn't have to know."

He moved to lie on top of her as he untied the laces on the front of her nightgown. He revealed one of her breasts and lowered his head to suckle it before moving to the other one.

"Oh, Gregory," Charlotte moaned as she arched her back and slid her hand through his hair. "That's very nice."

"Mhm," he nodded as he kissed and licked each nipple until it was a hard bud. Then he took one of her hands and placed it on the rock hard bulge in his shorts. "See what you do to me?"

"Wow, you're very um, well endowed, aren't you?"

"I haven't had any complaints before," he chuckled as he reached down to pull his cock free through the slit in the front and rubbed it against her thigh.

"I know it. I've heard stories about you and your, dare I say it, talented tongue."

"Oh yeah?" he asked as he moved his kisses up to her neck and her throat, licking and biting the skin there. "And what did you hear?"

"That you have many talents."

"Would you like to witness those talents first hand?" he asked as he began to kiss his way down her body once again.

"Unghh," she grunted as his hand slipped down between her legs. "I think I would surely die of pleasure," she breathed. "Oh!" she squealed in surprise as he ran his tongue in and around her belly button and moved his kisses lower.

"Nobody ever kissed you here before?" he asked as he kissed and nibbled the inside of her thigh.

"N-no never. I've never been touched there, oh my!" she gasped as she felt his fingers slip in between her folds.

"Never? Wow. You've been missing out," he whispered as he let one of his fingers slide into her tight warmth and began to move it in and out slowly. "So wet."

"Oh yes!" she sighed. "Oh Gregory, nobody's ever done this to me before!" she panted as she squirmed underneath him.

"I guess your late husband wasn't big on foreplay."

"What's that? Ohhh!" she groaned as her eyes closed and her head fell back against the pillows.

"It's what I'm doing right now. Getting you all nice and wet for when I fuck you like the insatiable little thing you are."

"Oh yes, Gregory, fuck me!" she whined as she spread her legs wider for him and began to thrust against his hand.

"You want me, Charlotte?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?" he asked, still stroking her a little harder in quick circles until she practically sat upright.

"God damn you, Gregory just take me!" she all but screamed at him, which made him chuckle. He grabbed one of the condoms he had, moved on top of her and slid himself inside of her, making her give a long, deep, feral moan. "Ohhhhhh sweet Jesus..."

"For a Catholic woman you sure like to take the Lord's name in vain a lot," he chuckled as he stayed still for a minute, allowing her to adjust to his size.

Charlotte moaned again and began to squirm underneath him as her legs wrapped around his waist and she urged him to move. No, she was definitely not a wallflower. She knew what she wanted and he was going to give it to her. Repeatedly.

And he did. At least three more times that night until she left his bed in the middle of the night while he slept, and returned to her wing in the other end of the castle.

* * *

_**A/N: Reviews/comments are love, guys. I love hearing from you! It's nice to know people are actually reading this. I hope you'll continue to enjoy this :) Feel free to give me a shout!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Visitkarte brought to my attention that the piano hasn't been invented yet in 1666. My bad. Just goes to show how lazy I am. Eventually I'll go back and change that detail, but in the meantime, here's another chapter :) I'm so glad everyone seems to be enjoying this. Thanks for reading :)**_

**Chapter Six**

**London, England, 1666**

There was great commotion in the town square as people crowded the streets and shouted various cheers and jeers at the man who was wheeled up to the platform.

"What's going on?" House whispered to Emmett as they stood off to the side and watched the condemned man be led up the steps to the chopping block.

"You'll get to witness your first execution so enjoy. I'm sure there will be many. I've already witnessed at least a dozen since I arrived months ago."

House's eyebrows shot up. "You're a sick ticket, Brown."

"It's fascinating how some men go quietly, and others whimper and plead for last minute mercy. And then there are the ones who give some long winded speech only to prolong the inevitable."

House watched the executioner beg for forgiveness and chuckled. "What's the point of that? What's the condemned going to say, no, I won't forgive you? And if he does say no, is that going to put a halt to the proceedings? It's going to happen one way or another."

Emmett shrugged. "It's procedure. Uh-oh, he's putting up quite a struggle. Funny, I thought he'd be brave and take it like a man. I always liked that guy."

"Who is it?"

"He was one of the King's advisors, but it turns out he was discovered trying to send secret messages to the Duke's father."

House arched an eyebrow. "Althea's Duke?"

"None other. Needless to say, their marriage will be called off and he'll be unable to set foot in this kingdom ever again. I'm surprised King Richard didn't order both the Duke and his son to the scaffold. He does have a penchant for beheadings."

"Terrific. Does Althea know about any of this? About the Duke, that is."

"If she doesn't, she soon will. If the Duke comes anywhere near her, his head will also be on the chopping block. I could've told his majesty the man was no good."

"So why didn't you?"

"Not my place. I knew it was only a matter of time before the Duke's shit began to stink. Clearly Althea thought the same, which is partly why she didn't want to marry him in the first place. That and the fact he's too old for her."

"How old is he?"

"Um, if I had to guess I'd say mid to late forties. Which is still more than twice her age. As are you. Speaking of which," Emmett said, with a smirk, "How's Charlotte?"

House shrugged as he kept his eye on the condemned man as they struggled to get his head to stay put on the chopping block.

"Seems she had her fill of me and has moved on to greener pastures. Which is fine. She was a dead lay anyway."

"House!"

"Well she was. Clearly her late husband was too or she'd be a little more exciting in the sack. But alas, she wasn't able to hold my interest very long. I can hardly maintain interest in a woman who doesn't even know what foreplay is."

Emmett's eyes widened. "She doesn't?"

Just then, the executioners axe came down swiftly, promptly removing the head of the man on the chopping block and both men winced while everyone else cheered. "

"Remind me not to piss off his Majesty."

"Well the way to do that is to stay away from Althea."

"I never touched her," House said as he watched the headless man's body get dumped in the nearby wagon. The crowd began to disperse and people went back to their daily chores as if nothing happened.

"That's not what I heard," Emmett said as they headed back to his workshop.

"Okay, then enlighten me, what did you hear?"

"That you were holding her in your arms."

"So? Haven't we already been over this? Her mother was dying and she was naturally upset. She could've just as easily walked into your arms if you'd been standing there. And chances are, you would've been better at comforting her than I was. I don't deal well with crying females."

"Right, you're much better at making them cry," Emmett smirked. "I heard about that maid the other day. Did you really have to scream at her?"

"I didn't scream at her. I asked her to get me something, she failed, got me the wrong thing so I called her an idiot. Loudly. Anyway, what is it you're so eager to show me?"

"I got part of the time machine working," Emmett said proudly as he got into the car, flipped several switches and the car turned into a hovercraft that floated a couple of feet off the ground.

"Holy shit."

"Yeah that's what I thought. Now I just need to fix the damage to the front end, make sure the time circuits are working alright and then we are out of here."

"How long do you think?"

"A few months if all goes well."

House nodded. "Sounds good."

XXX

It was Althea's eighteenth birthday and her father went all out. His purpose was for her to find a new husband and get her seen by the other nobility in the neighboring kingdoms. Much like a debutante ball.

House and Emmett were dressed in their finery, having been invited by the King himself, even though neither of them had any hope in hell of winning the Princess.

She looked beautiful when she came into the courtyard. Her long brown hair was down around her shoulders in ringlets and she wore a teal and gold gown which made her eyes sparkle. It was as if House was seeing her for the first time, and he was mesmerized. He didn't even hear what Emmett was saying to him as he watched her walk toward them.

"Emmett," she smiled as she placed a hand gently on his forearm. "Would you like to dance with me?"

House snickered at the look of complete adoration and lust in the man's eyes as he merely nodded and let her lead him to where the others were dancing. He watched them for awhile and then went to refill his glass of wine. That's where he ran into Charlotte doing the same thing.

"Good evening, Sir Gregory," she smiled demurely at him.

"Hi. You're talking to me again?"

She frowned. "Why shouldn't I speak to you?"

"Oh gee, I don't know. After you so graciously left my bed and jumped into another I figured you were done with the likes of me."

She bit her lower lip and looked up at him. "I have to say, sir, that you've ruined me for any other man."

"Now I find that hard to believe," he chuckled as he took a long sip.

"It's true. Now, would you care to dance?"

He shook his head. "I don't dance. But I'm sure you'll have no difficulty filling your dance card, or your bed."

The resounding crack was heard across the room as Charlotte's hand made contact with House's cheek and she stormed off in a huff, leaving him alone at the buffet table. He chuckled and reached for a chocolate covered berry as he watched Emmett and Althea dance together. He had to admit they were a cute couple, such like a grandfather dancing with his granddaughter. He knew there was no possible way there could ever be anything more than friendship between the two of them, but he was amused with the smiles they were giving each other, and the way Althea would occasionally glance in his direction.

"It appears that Dr. House has done it again," Althea said to Emmett as they danced. He was quite a bit taller than she was, and she found her neck was beginning to ache from looking up at him for the last several minutes.

"Done what?" Emmett inquired as he smiled down at the beautiful creature in his arms. God, how he ached for her. He found his body responding to her in ways that just weren't natural. She was just a girl! He thought to himself. A beautiful, graceful, brilliant girl. And yet, she looked at him with such adoration it made him wonder if House was right. If she'd come to his bed, would he turn her away? Could he?

"Emmett?"

He gave his head a shake to clear it. "I'm sorry, what?"

Althea giggled and rested her cheek against his chest. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

He sighed. "I'm afraid not."

"I said that Dr. House has managed to alienate himself from another female at court. Unfortunately this time it just happens to be my sister."

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Have you alienated yourself from him as well?"

"I am not interested in _that_ doctor," she whispered as they swayed together. He looked down at her and she smiled up at him.

"Althea..." he began to speak, his voice filled with warning.

"I know," she said, and sighed. "It is impossible. And yet..."

"Yes?"

"I've never known anyone like you. You're a very nice man, wise and intelligent. I find that very attractive. Is that so wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong. It's just that our ages..."

"I know it," she frowned and went back to resting her cheek against his chest.

House watched the two of them dance and couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy inside. He wasn't sure where it came from, since she clearly wasn't interested in him.

On the other hand, as his father once told him, a little healthy competition was good for the soul. Wasn't that what he said? If not, it went something like that. His point was still valid. He wondered if he could play that game with Emmett and win. A good part of him said yes, only because he was at least twenty-five years younger than the old man. He also knew Emmett's temperament and he didn't strike him as the type of man to fight House over a woman.

With his mind made up, he moved through the crowd and tapped Emmett on the shoulder. "Mind if I cut in? I haven't had a chance to dance with the birthday girl yet."

"Word has it that you don't dance," Althea said, looking smug, but not moving away from Emmett just yet.

"Everybody lies," was House's simple reply as he shrugged. "So?"

She glanced up at her partner, and something flashed in the old man's eyes for a brief moment. House thought it might've been anger, but he really didn't care.  
"Come come now, Emmett," House laughed as he cut between the two. "You've already had two dances in a row. You gotta share."

"He's right, Emmett," Althea said as she stepped back. "It's alright. We can have another dance later."

He managed a smile for her benefit, but House could tell he was not the least bit happy. Once he was gone, House took her small hand in his and placed his other arm around her waist but kept her at a safe distance.

"There now, is this so bad?" he asked her. "You can have loverboy back later."

She scowled. "Lover...boy?"

"I saw the way you two were looking at each other just now. If I didn't cut in, someone would've had to turn the hose on you."

"The hose?"

House groaned and rolled his eyes. "Never mind. My point is that you're not fooling anyone."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Emmett is not but a good friend."

"If you say so. So, are you enjoying yourself tonight, Princess?"

"Yes, thank you," she said. Her body was stiff in his arms and he knew he had to come up with a way to relax her a little. She was far too uptight.

"I suppose you're relieved not to have to marry the Duke."

She smiled, and her relief was palpable. "Very."

"So...anyone you have in mind?"

"No, not at the moment. Between you and I, I'm enjoying my freedom."

"And so you should. You're young, and beautiful. You shouldn't need to worry about settling down and having a family just yet. Have fun. Life is short."

Althea blinked up at him, as if she were seeing him for the first time. "You are so right. And I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"Assuming the worst of you."

"That's alright. Everyone does. But if you'd take the time to know me, you'll see that I'm not a bad guy. I can be just as much fun as the mad scientist over there."

She perked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Do you like to ride?"

_No_. "Of course," he nodded, even though he wanted to shake his head to the contrary.

"Meet me at noon tomorrow at the stables. I just might let you prove yourself."

The song ended and she extracted herself from his arms. "Thank you, sir," she smiled as she curtsied to him and wandered into the crowd, no doubt looking for Emmett, he figured. But all was not lost. He had a date with her the next day. He couldn't say the same for Emmett.

XXX

"Emmett?"

Her voice was like an angel's song to him and he froze. He bolted from the driver's side of the time machine and quickly covered it up, having a very odd sense of déjà vu while doing so. What was it with women sneaking up on him while he was working?

"Althea? I'll be right out," he called out to her as he smoothed his clothes and ran his fingers through his messed up hair. He came out and closed the door behind him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party?"

"I was looking for you. Someone said you left."

"Yeah uh, I'm not one for big parties, I'm afraid," he smiled as he ran another hand through his already messy hair.

"I was hoping we could perhaps, have another dance," she said, biting her lip in the most adorable way possible. Emmett didn't know what to do next. Here was a girl, and that's exactly what she was, a girl, willing and wanting to be in the same room with him and he couldn't make sense of it. Most women ran the other way when they saw him coming.

"But there is no music. Never mind. It was a silly idea," she sighed.

A light bulb went on over Emmett's head. "You want music? I might be able to accommodate you," he said as he scrounged around for the portable CD player he kept, and the external speakers.

Althea's eyes widened when she saw the device, and then she backed up against the wall when she heard the music playing.

"What is that?" she asked, completely in awe as a gentle waltz played from the speakers.

"It's a secret. You can't tell anyone, Althea," he warned her, looking serious.

"Where did it come from?"

"I brought it with me."

"From America?"

"Yes. We're a little more advanced over there." He took a step closer and offered her his hand. "It's alright. It'll be our little secret," he smiled.

She hesitated but then let him wrap his arm around her tiny waist as he held her other hand. "Emmett," she sighed as she rested her cheek against his chest once again, like she'd done earlier. He rested his chin on top of her head and breathed in the smell of her hair. He couldn't for the life of him understand why she wanted to be around him, but at the moment he didn't really care.

"Mhm?"

"This is the best birthday I've ever had."

He chuckled. "Well I'm glad to hear it."

"You're really not going to leave, are you?" The desperation in her voice was clear and it made his heart ache.

"Not for awhile. I have a lot of work to do, yet."

"I couldn't bear not seeing you. Not being able to talk to you," she said as she slid her arms around his waist and hugged him close to her.

His heart was beating so loudly in his ears he was sure she could hear it.

"Althea..." he choked out as he felt her hands slide up his back and her lips on the exposed skin under his collar. "Althea, God," he murmured as he closed his eyes. Her lips were moving up his throat as she stood on tip toes to reach higher. "Althea, don't," he said as he took her face in his hands and crashed his lips against hers in a kiss that could only be described as fierce.

At first he wasn't sure what was happening, only that Althea was kissing him back with the same amount of passion that he was showing her. He opened one eye to see that her eyes were closed, and glanced at the clock. It was almost ten. House would be showing up any minute to help him with the time machine. He had to get her out of there.

But God, she felt so good in his arms. Her body literally melted against his and he couldn't seem to let her go.

That is, until he heard footsteps outside, and they broke apart as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on them.

"Who is that?" she whispered, eyes wide, but dilated.

"Open up, Emmett," House called from the other side of the door.

"Oh no!"

She wildly looked around and spotted an open window. "I can fit through," she whispered as she ran to it and opened it wider.

"I'll be right there!" he called to House as he helped her out of the window and closed it just as the door opened and House waltzed in.

"Whaddya know, credit cards do work in 1666."

He took one look at Emmett's wild eyes and the fact that the man was breathing rather heavily and stifled a laugh. "Am I interrupting something?"

"What? No, of course not," he said as he casually leaned against the wall, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. Of course, what he didn't know, was that House was onto him as soon as he needed to unlock the door with his credit card. Emmett never locked the door before.

"Uh-huh. Whatever, man. If you want to make a fool of yourself with an eighteen year old girl, that's your business. I hope it's worth it."

"It is. She is," he said, quietly.

"What do you think his Majesty is going to say about this? He will find out eventually."

Emmett shrugged. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, but with any luck, we'll be out of this time before that happens. Let's get to work, shall we?"

House nodded. "Gladly."

XXX

It was eleven O'clock when Althea entered the stable in her riding gear and carrying a picnic basket. Emmett was working nearby at the forge, hammering a horseshoe into shape when she approached.

"Good morning, Emmett," she said with a smile, but she didn't come any closer.

He stopped hammering, looked up and smiled at her. "Good morning, Princess." He stood up and put down his tools. "Going for a ride?"

"Yes. In awhile. With Sir Gregory."

Emmett's face fell. "Oh well good. It's dangerous to go alone, anyway."

"I can handle myself," she said, standing a little straighter.

"I know you can. But still, you are a Princess, and kidnappings are not uncommon."

"I'll be fine."

"Indeed," he said as he went to find the proper saddle for her horse, and the other equipment.

"Emmett, about what happened last night..."

"Nothing happened last night," he said. Then he sighed. "Nothing but a few innocent kisses, at least."

Althea smirked. "I was there too, Emmett. And those kisses were not innocent."

"I'm sorry," he said as he went about preparing the horse.

She blinked. "Sorry? What for?"

"Well, for kissing you the way I did."

"If you recall," she said, moving a little closer. "It was I who kissed you first."

Emmett smiled when he thought back to the night before for the hundredth time that day. She might've started things, but he definitely kissed her first.

"Okay then we're even."

"It shouldn't happen again like that," she said, still moving closer until they were standing side by side in the stall next to the horse. "We've been very good friends since you came here. I wouldn't want that to change."

"Right," he nodded. "So we're in agreement that we shouldn't get involved."

"Yes. So we won't," she nodded, even though she didn't quite want to believe that. Emmett's nearness was making her heart race as she glanced up at him.

"It would be unprofessional," he nodded.

"And untenable."

"And unworkable," he added, turning to face her and closing the gap between them.

"And unacceptable." She glanced down as his hands reached for hers and held onto them.

"And unthinkable."

"And..." she breathed as he stood so close she swore she could hear his heart beating in his chest.

"And..." he bent his head and his lips hovered over hers, so close that they were breathing each other's air. And then he kissed her. It wasn't nearly as intense as the kiss the night before but it made her wrap her arms around his neck as she melted against him.

It was he who ended it when he thought he heard someone, and he blinked. "Unbelievable."

"Emmett?" she asked, looking worried.

He gave his head a shake as if to clear it and then stepped back. "What time did you say you were meeting Dr. House?"

"Noon. But I came here early to talk to you. I was up half the night thinking about you and what that kiss meant."

"And what did you come up with?" he asked as he finished preparing her horse.

"I think that, even though we are attracted to each other, it wouldn't be right to be more than just friends. I hope you understand."

He wasn't sure if he should feel hurt or elated, but he nodded just the same. "Yes, I understand perfectly. I'm too old for you anyway. Your father would send me to the chopping block if he knew."

"And possibly me as well," she chuckled.

"If anyone's in the wrong here it's me. You do know how old I am, don't you? Where I'm from, it could almost be considered high treason."

"Age is but a number, but I think I understand what you're saying."

"Look," he said as he took both her hands in his. "Go out with Dr. House today. Have fun. He likes you."

She looked surprised. "He does? I thought he liked my sister."

"You're the one he's really interested in. He could make you happy. Give him a chance. I'm bowing out gracefully."

"He only likes me because you do. Now that you don't, he won't. You'll see."

He helped her onto her horse and she smiled down at him. "Thank-you, Emmett. You are a true gentleman."

He watched her leave and went back to the forge, wondering if he was doing the right thing. He knew it was wrong in so many ways. But she felt so good in his arms both times. How could something so wrong feel so right? And when they kissed...

He gave his head a shake. He just wouldn't think about it anymore today. She deserved someone younger, more alive than him. What was the phrase? If you something let it go, but if it comes back, it was meant to be. Well he was going to let her go. But if she came back, she was his.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: And the story takes another interesting turn..._

**Chapter Seven**

**London, 1666**

House and Althea stopped at a nearby lagoon for lunch. "Nice spread," he said as he watched her lay everything out on a large blanket. There was wine, cheese, chicken and cupcakes.

"I know about you and your very healthy appetite, Sir Gregory," she said as she sat back and watched him pour them some wine.

"You know, you don't have to be so formal," he told her. "You don't have to call me Sir, or even Dr. House. You can just call me Greg. You call Emmett by his first name, after all," he pointed out. "Speaking of which. Did you hurt yourself climbing out of his window last night?"

She blushed as red as her dress and glared at him. "How do you know about that?"

"Just the way he looked like the cat that ate the canary and the fact that he locked the door to his workshop when he never did before. Something was up. So how was it?"

"How was what?" she groaned, clearly flustered with this line of questioning.

"Well something went down last night. You're very quiet this morning."

"I will not discuss my personal life with you, good sir."

"Oh, so now I'm a 'good sir,' well it's better than being a bad one. So you two played some tonsil hockey, who cares? Just don't let daddy find out."

Her eyes widened. "Tonsil hockey?"

"Yeah. Either you kissed him or he kissed you. Either way, what do you see in an old guy like him, anyway?"

Althea fidgeted a little and then took a long sip of her wine. "I don't. What happened last night was a mistake. A result of my drinking too much wine at the festivities. I'm afraid it gave me courage to do and say things I would not entertain otherwise. So when Emmett kissed me again this morning..." her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes and seemed to curse silently to herself. "I do not even know why I am telling you any of this. But I feel like I can talk to you. Tell you anything. And I do not even know you."

"You can tell me anything. I am a doctor after all. I also don't judge people. So what's the deal?" he asked as he poured her another glass of wine.

"Deal?"

"What happened?"

"Well, I think Emmett likes me more than I like him, and I feel horrible for leading him on, which is why I went to see him this morning. We agreed that it wasn't a good idea for us to be anything other than just good friends."

House nodded. "Good for you. Was that before or after you two sucked face?"

Althea frowned again. "Why do you have to use those ridiculous metaphors all the time?"

"To amuse myself," he grinned. "Really. I have to know. What is it about that guy? You two have forty years between you. What could you possibly have in common?"

Althea began putting items back into the picnic basket quickly. "I will not discuss this with the man who's had half the women in the kingdom in his bed, let alone my own sister."

"What's the matter, Princess? Is it the fact that I slept with her? Or that she beat you to the punch?"

Althea gasped and House knew he went too far with that statement but he didn't apologize. "How dare you!"

"How dare I what?" he challenged as he stared into the depths of her green eyes.

"How dare you infer that I would have anything to do with a—wastrel like you!"

"Oh, so now I'm a wastrel. I wonder what I'll be tomorrow."

"Oh I don't know. Maybe a cretin!"

"I'm too tall to be a cretin. Cretin's have stunted growth. Usually from a thyroid deficiency..."

"Alright enough!"

There was rustling in the woods and House stood up but placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her down. "Shhh! Stay down," he hissed.

"Why?"

"I don't think we're alone."

"That's absurd! I travel these woods all the time. I've never seen anybody else on the trails."

"Never say never. Grab your stuff and let's get out of here."

They rode through the woods at breakneck speed, and arrived at the stable where Emmett was just finishing up for the day. Althea had barely gotten off her horse when she was in Emmett's arms, clinging for dear life.

"It was all so frightening. I think we were followed."

House watched the display with great interest and amusement and was about to say something about it when everyone else jumped at attention. "Make way for his majesty!" Someone shouted, causing Althea and Emmett to step away from one another just in time for the King to make his entrance.

He surveyed everyone around him and turned to his daughter. "You're back early, daughter."

"Yes, father. Sir Gregory and I went for a ride, but we heard someone in the woods so we rushed back immediately."

He looked at House with concern. "You were followed?"

"I don't think so, your Majesty. I didn't see anyone but I definitely heard something following behind us on the way back."

"Good man," the king nodded. "Thank you for bringing her back safe and sound. Now, as for why I'm here, there's someone I want you to meet, Althea. I'll expect you in the throne room once you've gotten out of your riding clothes."

She curtsied quickly. "Yes, father."

Everyone bowed as the king turned and left the stable and Althea quickly followed her father back to the castle.

"So were you followed?" Emmett inquired.

"I don't know. But there was definitely someone or something on our tail."

"You're still back pretty early. What's the matter? Didn't it go well?"

"What's the matter, Doc? Did you miss her?"

"Butt out, House. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh I think I do. Althea and I did a lot of talking this afternoon."

Emmett blinked. "And? What did she say?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't breach doctor-patient confidentiality. HIPAA regulations and all that."

"Cut the crap, House, there's no HIPAA where the Princess is concerned. When she got checked to ensure her virginity before marrying the Duke, it was all over the kingdom in a matter of hours that she isn't a virgin. It's as bad as the National Enquirer around here. This place is a hotbed of gossip."

"Wait, you're saying she's not a virgin?" House laughed. "I call bullshit on that. Ten bucks says she paid the doctor to say that so the Duke wouldn't want to marry her. Obviously that backfired. I'll bet her father was furious."

Emmett actually laughed as he recalled it. "Damn right he was. He demanded she tell him who deflowered her."

"What did she say?"

"She said, and I quote, 'a lady never tells.'"

House laughed out loud. "Well I'll say this for her. She's got spunk."

"Yes she does," Emmett said, looking off into space as he thought about her for the two hundredth time that day.

XXX

"My beautiful daughter, come!" King Richard called to Althea when she entered the throne room where her father and two strange men stood.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I want to introduce you to King Jonathan Suffolk, and his son Jonathan Suffolk II, the Prince of Canterbury."

Althea looked in the prince's direction and was immediately unimpressed as he stood there looking bored. He was short, thin, with red hair and beady eyes. His skin was very fair and he wasn't the least bit attractive. He was also young, perhaps only a few years older than she was.

She curtsied and gave one of her best smiles. "Your Majesty, your Highness." King Jon gave his son a shove and he nearly fell over before stumbling his way towards her.

"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Princess Althea," he said, in a very nasally voice. "You're as pretty as they say."

"Why, thank you. Welcome to our humble kingdom."

"With any luck, we will be able to join kingdoms," the prince said, giving her a very overly enthusiastic wink which only she could see. "Oh, the fun we will have, the love we will make, the babies you will give me..."

"Babies...I will give you?" Althea repeated, suddenly feeling faint.

"Princess?" Jonathan inquired as she fanned herself and then failed to catch her when she did faint, her head hitting the hard stone floor.

When she opened her eyes sometime later, she was greeted by the most amazing pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen in her life. She didn't know how she never noticed them before. They were so blue and so amazing. It then suddenly dawned on her that she was looking into the eyes of Dr. Gregory House.

_Oh Christ, am I'm in trouble_, she thought to herself and then closed her eyes again. _How did I not notice his eyes before? Was I blind?_

_If I keep my eyes closed, maybe everyone will disappear and all that nonsense about the prince and babies will just be a dream._

"C'mon, beautiful. Open those green eyes for us," House coaxed as he stood over her while everyone watched. Prince Jonathan bristled but didn't say anything.

"She is beautiful," he agreed. "And she's going to be _my_ wife."

House glanced up at him and managed to resist laughing. "Is that so?"

"Yes, that is so. Are you the doctor?"

"Yeah."

"Then why are you not dressed like the other peons?"

"Dr. House is a brilliant doctor, and he saved my daughter's life when she was attacked by ruffians some months ago. He's also been elevated to Knight, therefore, he is free to dress as he likes," King Richard spoke up. "And you will treat him with the respect he deserves. This man might save your life one of these days."

"Then again, I might not," House mumbled as he placed a cool compress on Althea's head where a nasty bump had formed.

She felt him squeeze her hand and the underlying current of electricity that passed between them was unmistakeable.

_Where was this coming from? He was infuriating earlier._ So much so that she couldn't get away from him fast enough. Now all she wanted to do was look into those blue depths.

"Ya know, you're really not making me look good," he whispered in her ear. "At least open your eyes and sit up for me. You might have concussion. I need you to stay awake."

She opened one eye, and then the other and he helped her sit up. "There you go. How's your head? You bumped it pretty good back there, thanks to his royal anus."

"I beg your pardon?" Prince Jon gasped.

"Can't you tell when a woman is about to pass out?"

"Well I..."

"Yeah that's what I thought. Go away now, I need to treat my patient. She needs to be in bed and monitored for the next twenty-four hours."

"Is that your professional opinion, doctor?" the prince snapped.

"No, it's common procedure for when someone has a concussion. So step back and let me do my job." He turned to her. "Are you okay to walk to your chambers, Princess?"

"Yes, Dr. House, I can manage just fine," she smiled sweetly at him and took the arm he offered her.

"I can help too," the prince offered as he attempted to take her other arm, but Althea gave him a glare.

"That isn't necessary. The good doctor is quite capable of taking care of my needs."

"I'm sure he is," the prince muttered as he watched House and Althea walk out of the room with her on his arm.

"Please tell me you're not marrying that little wimp," House said once they were out of earshot.

"Alright, I won't tell you."

"Seriously? What is with your father trying to marry you off so young?"

"He wants more heirs. A male one, preferably."

"If it's heirs he wants, I'm sure I can accommodate you," House leered.

Althea sighed as her ladies in waiting helped her undress. "I'm sure you can, but it will not be necessary. Honestly, doctor House," she hissed as she came out from behind the privacy wall and climbed into her bed. "Ohh, my head," she moaned as she rubbed at it.

"How's the pain on a scale of one to ten?"

She thought about it for a few seconds. "A seven, maybe eight."

"Hmm," House said as he went to the medical kit that Emmett gave him and found a couple of extra strength Tylenol. "Here, take these. I'm sorry I don't have anything stronger."

"What is this?"

"Medicine for your headache. You'll probably have one for the next few days."

She took the pills and the juice he offered her and swallowed them. "Are you really going to stay here all night and watch me?"

"Yep," he said as he found a big chair and dragged it next to her bed. "I wasn't lying about the first twenty-hour hours being critical. You need to rest and I need to make sure you don't die in your sleep."

"I hit my head that hard?"

"Hard enough. Of course, without a CAT scan it's difficult to say how bad it was. But that's a pretty big bump on your head."

Althea scrunched her face in confusion. "What's a CAT scan?"

"It's a tool I use to locate damage to the brain."

He then reached for her wrist to take her pulse and she tried to pull away. "I can take my own pulse."

"Really?" he chuckled. "Okay. Count for fifteen seconds. Go." Fifteen seconds passed by. "What did you get?"

"Two hundred."

"Okay. Either you suck at math or you'll be dead in two seconds." He studied her for two seconds and then nodded. "You suck at math. Leave the medical stuff to me."

She sighed. "I wonder if Emmett knows I'm here..."

"I'm sure he does. Hell, the whole castle's probably heard about you taking a dive by now. Are you still worried about him?"

"I feel bad that I led him on. And I do not love him but when he kissed me last night the way he did, and then again this morning. I don't know. I can't help but feel something for the man."

"Lust. That's all it is. Seriously, Princess. Nothing can come of it, you know that."

"Yes I know. You've told me already. And as to the answer to your question about what he and I have in common, that's between Emmett and myself. I will not discuss it with you."

"Oh come on," he chuckled. "You gotta tell me. It's not enough just to find him attractive. Chemistry only goes so far. You also need a meeting of the minds."

"We both love science. We've had some very interesting conversations about it."

"Let me guess, time travel?"

"Sometimes. He knows something about everything. I could sit and listen to him talk all night long, and I have. He's a very good story teller."

"Yeah, he is. Has he told you anything about where he's from?"

"Only that he's from America. It sounds so amazing and beautiful."

"Here is beautiful."

"Yes it is, but I think it's a different kind of beauty."

"I suppose." He watches her eyes droop closed. "Sleep now," he said as he reached for her wrist again. Her pulse was back to normal and he felt better knowing that. It would be safe to let her rest.

When Althea woke up a few hours later, she looked over and saw House dozing off in the chair he was sitting in. She was glad he was asleep. It gave her a chance to study him.

He really was attractive, in a rugged sort of way. He never shaved, and his stubble made him look younger than he was. She wasn't sure how old that was, but she assumed he was in his mid to late thirties at most. Her eyes drifted down to his chest where his muscles could be seen through the fabric of his shirt. He was very nicely built as well. Not too big, just big enough to look strong and steady. She liked a man who took care of himself. She knew Emmett wasn't built that way. He was slightly muscular as well, but not the way House was. From there she looked at his long legs that were stretched out in front of him and then at his hands.

He had long, thin fingers and very attractive hands. She blushed when she thought about how those hands felt when he was taking her pulse. They were soft. Nothing like other men she knew, whose hands were rough from years of working in the fields.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer," he muttered, eyes still closed, and she looked away immediately.

"I..."

"It's fine. How's your pain on the scale of one to ten?"

"I think I could say that it's at about a four. My head is throbbing a little but it is not bothersome. How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, a little."

"I'll have something brought up. I don't suppose you'd want to have dinner with me in here, would you?"

She smiled. "That would be lovely, yes."

House smirked, the corner of his lips curving up into a smile. "What do you suppose his Highness would say about that?"

"Until there has been an actual betrothal, I care not what he says or thinks. The boy, and he is a boy, is a typical spoiled prince and I do not care to get to know him."

"But would you say he's better than the Duke you were supposed to marry?"

"I do not know. But he hasn't done one thing to try to impress me, other than to tell me that I'm pretty."

"You are," House nodded. "Very much so."

Althea blushed and then rang the bell next to her bed to summon her ladies in waiting. She ordered two meals to be brought up for her and House and some wine.

"You probably shouldn't be drinking wine with the medication I gave you," he said. "But the wine here is pretty weak so I'll make an exception in this case. Just one glass for you."

She smiled. "Whatever you say, Dr. House. I am your patient."

Twenty minutes later, their dinner was brought up and she ate from a tray on her bed. "I hope the prince isn't going to ask me to marry him. I just met him last night after all."

"You move very fast here. If he does ask you, will there be any kind of courtship?"

"Some. For how long is determined by his father and mine."

"He's a wimp, and a ginger. Gingers are freaks."

"Gingers?"

"Yeah, you know, red hair, light skin and blue eyes."

"They're no match for yours," she blurted out, and then covered her mouth with a giggle when he looked at her. "They are quite amazing, ."

"So the ladies tell me. But then I could say the same about yours. I've never seen eyes that green before. They're like emeralds."

Althea blushed and looked down at the food tray in front of her. "Thank you. My mother also had green eyes."

"You definitely favor her in looks." He leaned closer in his chair. "You are a very beautiful woman, Althea," House said softly, not sure what possessed him to say such a thing but it was out there now and he didn't really care. She had to know she was pretty, didn't she?

"Thank you."

"You can do so much better than that little ginger creep downstairs."

"I know it. But alas, it's not up to me," she said and took another bite of her dinner, followed by a long drink of her wine.

"You can't refuse the proposal?"

"Of course I can, but giving the excuse that he's a ginger freak would only serve to anger my father."

"You're an adult. You should have the choice of who you want to marry."

"I know but it is not that simple. It's my duty to produce an heir."

"What about your sister? How she hasn't managed to produce one by now is beyond me. The way she hops from bed to bed with the frequency of a cheap ham radio."

Althea giggled. "She never used to be like that. She loved her husband, but she didn't have a chance to have children. They were not married that long."

"But she could remarry," he pointed out.

"Yes, she could, but I think my father has considered her a lost cause, due to her age and all."

"Oh yeah, because she's just so old."

"She's twenty-five."

"Exactly my point. She has her whole life ahead of her yet. As do you. You should get the choice of who you want to marry. You should marry for love."

She snickered. "I do not have time for such nonsense. I need to have a son or two, to continue the family lineage."

"That's total crap. What happens if you don't have any sons?"

"I do not know what would happen to me then."

"You deserve better than this," he said as he moved a little closer. "You deserve to be able to choose someone who will love you and treat you the way you deserve. You think that wimp down there will do that? You'll be used to make babies until you give him the son he so desperately wants and then you'll be brushed aside and looked upon as the pretty wife who's stuck in the castle. A trophy wife. That's all anyone will see you as. Not to mention the meal ticket as well from the dowry you'll no doubt give him as well. So yes, I'm sure he will ask you to marry him. He'd be an idiot not to."

"He's an idiot anyway," she retorted.

"That's the spirit!" House chuckled as he pumped his fist in the air. "So what are you going to say when he asks you to marry him?"

"No."

"Louder!"

"No!"

"Good girl."

Althea smiled. She felt good. But she knew it wasn't to last.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Sorry about the delay. Had a busy week. Lots of birthdays to celebrate, mine included :P So here's the latest chapter. I'll definite post the next one tonight or tomorrow. It's all ready to be posted as well :) Thanks for reading and for your reviews :) I'm glad you're enjoying this :)**_

**Chapter Eight**

**London 1666**

"Princess! Princess!"

Althea closed her eyes and cursed softly as Prince Jon approached. "I was so worried about you."

"Were you?" she asked. "Why?"

He blinked. "Well I... because you hit your head."

"Which I would not have done if you'd have caught me. Good day," she said and turned away, but he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

"Do not walk away from me, Princess," he hissed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was under the impression that our talk was over. Now take your hand off me this instant."

He removed his hand and she started to walk away. "They said you were..."

She turned around again and gave him a look of interest. "They said I was what?"

"Feisty."

"I am. The real question is are you man enough to handle it?"

He grabbed her arm and shoved her up against the nearest tree and pressed his body against hers.

"Get off of me!"

"Not until I show you just how much of a man I am. You're a tease, Princess. I'm onto your little game."

Althea began to panic. Nobody was around, which was unusual for mid-morning. That only left one solution. Her knee came up hard and hit Jon in the family jewels, causing him to fall to a heap on the ground, writhing in pain.

She hurried into the castle and ran into her father. "My dear daughter. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, father." Then suddenly, her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. "No, I am not fine."

"I saw you talking with Prince Jon. Is he not to your liking?"

"Honestly? No, he is not. He is a ginger freak!"

King Richard chuckled and then nodded. "I do believe he will ask for your hand."

"Oh no," she sighed.

"You do not want it?"

"No, father, I do not."

He nodded and then leaned close. "Neither do I."

Her eyes widened. "Does that mean I can refuse his proposal?"

"You're a woman of free will. And between you and I, it wouldn't be that great of a match."

She threw her arms around her father and sighed. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

"We will meet in an hour in the throne room and I will send the King and his son on their way."

"Thank you, father."

An hour later found Althea in the throne room with her father, the King of Suffolk and his son, who was looking a tad bit uncomfortable. He scowled at the princess.

"Well, I believe my son has a very important question to ask your lovely daughter."

"Well, out with it then," King Richard sighed, clearly not in the mood to waste any more of his time.

"Princess, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, thus joining our two kingdoms?"

"I am unable to acquiesce your request."

It was so quiet in the room that a pin drop could be heard.

"I beg your pardon?"

Althea sighed loudly "Let me put it to you in terms you can understand. It means no."

"There's your answer, she said no," the King said. "Back to your kingdom you go, and take your son with you."

"Her Highness is very brave," King Suffolk said. "But my son deserves to know why."

"Do you want to start with him not catching me when I fainted yesterday, which caused me to have a concussion? Or how about the way he forced himself on me in the garden not less an two hours ago!"

"Silence!" King Suffolk shouted at her, but the King was furious. "You will not talk of such nonsense!"

"And you will not speak to my daughter in such a tone. She's made her choice and this meeting is over."

"She's going to regret this. My son will have her."

"Over my dead body," Althea muttered.

"Oh, my beautiful princess," King Jonathan said with a wicked smile. "I'm sure that could be arranged."

King Richard stood up. "How dare you threaten my daughter! Get out of my castle and so help me God, if either one of you sets foot in my kingdom again, your heads will be as good as gone! Now get out of here and take your..." he turned to his daughter, "what did you call him?"

"Ginger freak."

"Ah yes. Take your ginger freak son with you."

"You'll be sorry, your Majesty!" King Jon hissed as he grabbed his son and pulled him from the room.

King Richard turned to his daughter. "You did not tell me the boy forced himself upon you."

"I... didn't want to worry you, father."

"I see. Well, from this day forth you do not go anywhere without an escort, is that clear?"

"But father..."

"No buts. You will do as I say. It is for your own good as well as your safety. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father."

She wandered down to the stables where Emmett was working at the forge. His face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat as he pounded metal with a sledgehammer.

"Afternoon, Princess." He put the hammer down and smiled at her, but then frowned when he saw her face. "Why the long face?"

"Prince Jon asked me to marry him."

"That's good news," he said, and then studied her face. "Or maybe not."

"He tried to... well he tried to... oh I can't even say it."

"He tried to what?"

"He pushed me against a tree and called me a tease."

Emmett's eyes widened. "He didn't..."

"He did. I do not even want to contemplate what he would have done next if I had not used my knee on him."

He cleared his throat and sat back down, crossing his legs. "Remind me not to get you mad at me in the future."

"Oh, Emmett," she giggled. "I could never do that to you. Anyway, he and his father left."

"You mean you're not going to marry him?"

"God no! He's... what Dr. House said, a ginger freak."

Emmett laughed. "Oh, is he the one you were dancing with before me? The one with the red hair and really pale skin?"

"Yes! He started talking about us, and babies and... I don't even want to think about it."

"No wonder you're upset."

"It's not that I don't want to get married! I do. I just..."

"You want to choose who you marry, is that it?"

"Exactly. I seem to have this crazy notion that you should marry for love."

"It's not crazy. I know I wouldn't be able to marry some total stranger just because I had to. There's someone for everyone, Althea. You'll find him."

He reached over and patted her hand but didn't move it right away.

"Am I interrupting something?" House inquired as he stood in the doorway, having eavesdropped on their conversation.

"No, not at all," Emmett said as he quickly pulled his hand away from hers. "I was just taking a quick break. What can I do for you?"

"I had some time on my hands and thought you might want to go for a ride," House said to Althea. "Word on the street says you can't go out without an escort." Then he whispered, "there are gingers in them there woods."

Emmett looked worried. "What happened?"

"The prince of putz and his father threatened her. The King fears a kidnapping so she's not allowed to go out alone."

"With all due respect, House, you think her having an escort is going to stop these people if they're hellbent on revenge?"

"What do you suggest then?"

"One of us should stay with her at all times."

"Oh no," Althea said as she began to back away. "Not again."

"Not again what?" Emmett asked as he scratched his head in confusion.

"No offense, dear Emmett, but although your idea is a good one, I don't think it's the right one."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Just leave me be. If they're going to get me, they're going to get me. They'll find a way."

"I'd rather not give them the opportunity," House grumbled.

"And I agree with him," Emmett nodded. He reached for her hand again and squeezed it. "Let us protect you, Althea. If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

She looked into Emmett's dark brown hypnotic eyes and she couldn't help but notice the desperation in them.

"Dr. House, could you please give Emmett and I a few moments alone?"

House glanced at his watch. "That's one hell of a quickie."

Emmett glared at him and pointed to the door. "Out!"

"Okay okay I'm going," he sighed and left the stable, but didn't go far.

"Emmett," Althea began as she stood up and began to pace. "I feel horrible about what I did."

"Ohhhkayy. What is it you think you did?"

"I was afraid that I led you on before. And then the other day I told you that we were better off as friends."

"That's right."

"It seemed right at the time but now I just don't know anymore. I do not know what I want."

"Althea, you're young," Emmett said with a smile. "And we've had this talk before. You need to find someone closer to your own age."

She stopped pacing and wringing her hands. "But that's the problem, Emmett. I don't want someone my own age. I just want you."

She was standing in front of him, on her tip toes, with her hands on his chest as she stared expectantly at him, waiting for something.

He cleared his throat and placed his hands over hers. "Althea, I don't know what you've got in your head about... us. But whatever it is, can't happen."

"Why not? We like each other, don't we?"

"Yes, yes we do. But that's all it can ever be. I wish there was a way I could make you understand that."

"No," she said as she stepped back. "I understand completely. Goodbye, Emmett," she said and then turned around and quickly ran outside, nearly knocking over House on her way out the door.

"What the..."

"God damnit!" Emmett hissed as he kicked over a stool.

"What just happened?"

"It doesn't matter. I hurt her feelings. She'll never speak to me again."

"What did you say to her?"

"I told her the truth. And she didn't like it."

"_What did you say to her?_" House repeated, getting a little impatient.

"She told me in so many words that she wanted me, even after I told her that she needs to find someone closer to her own age."

"Oh man," House sighed as he scratched his forehead with his thumb. "You really don't know much about women, do you?"

Emmett shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Women have always been one of the great mysteries of the universe to me. But I stand by what I said. She'd be happier with... well, someone like you, House."

"I wish."

"What? You don't like her?"

"Of course I like her. But I don't think she likes me, or ever will as much as she likes you."

"Oh, I dunno about that. I've seen the way she's been looking at you recently. Ever since she took that blow to the head..." Emmett's eyes widened. "Great Scott! That's it!"

"What's it?"

"How badly did she hit her head?"

"Pretty bad. Bad enough that she had a wicked goose egg. It was just a mild concussion. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Maybe she wasn't supposed to marry the prince? And her hitting her head just facilitated that from not happening."

"Yeah, and?"

Emmett scratched his head. "I don't know. But something doesn't feel right."

"We need to talk to her."

"No, you need to talk to her. You're the reason she ran out of here crying."

Emmett's eyes widened. "She was crying?"

"Well yeah. That's what women do. You upset them, and they cry. Especially women in this day and age. It doesn't take much to cause them to cry, or to faint. I witnessed that action first hand, and although amusing, a lot of women don't do it gracefully. But yeah, you go find her, and talk to her."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Emmett searched the castle inside out but there was no sign of Althea. When he returned to the stable, House was there, talking to a very attractive milk maid.

"So did you two kiss and makeup?" House inquired.

"She's not there."

"What do you mean she's not there? Where else would she be?"

"I don't know, but she's not in the castle. She must've run off somewhere."

"Then we need to find her." House dismissed the milkmaid with the promise of seeing her later, and the two men set off on horseback to locate the missing princess.

XXX

Althea lay in the green grass staring up at the blue sky above as she contemplated things. She chose that field because it was quiet, and far enough from the castle that nobody would think to look for her. She always considered it her special place when she needed to think, and now was one of those times.

She'd long since stopped crying, but it didn't mean she wouldn't start again once she started thinking about Emmett.

She knew he cared about her, and she was more than straight forward about her feelings for him but still he refused her. That she couldn't understand. True he was much older than she was but age never bothered her. Unfortunately it bothered him much more.

So when he tried to steer her towards Dr. House, it made her angry. How dare he decide who she should want! Of course Dr. House was younger than Emmett but that didn't mean he was best suited for her, either.

And yet, one look into those blue eyes of his made her weak. She wondered if his kisses would make her feel the same way. That wasn't to say Emmett's kisses didn't do that to her. The first kiss they shared was incredible, even if she was quite intoxicated at the time. But the second time wasn't so much and therefore led her to believe that her feelings for the blacksmith were not as they seemed.

The sound of approaching horses made her sigh, but she didn't move. Clearly they'd discovered her secret hiding place and would no doubt take her back to the castle.

"Well, well,what do we have here?" a stranger's voice laughed, causing the other man to chuckle.

"Looks to be one very lovely lass. She is just as the Prince described."

Althea's eyes flipped open and she sat up. "You are trespassing, sirs. Please go back from wence you came and leave me be."

"I'm sorry, your highness," one of the man said as he jumped down from his horse. He had something in his hands that he hid behind his back. "We are here by order of Prince Jonathan. He wishes to see you."

"Well I do not wish to see him. So you may go and give him that message."

She didn't notice the other man come up behind her.

"Please forgive me, Princess," the man said as he lunged towards her with some rope. She backed away into the arms of the man behind her who grabbed her hands while the other man secured them behind her back. "Don't fight, lass. It's so much better if you don't fight."

Althea put up quite a struggle but she soon tired and when the men clamped something over her mouth and nose, she succumbed to darkness and her whole body went limp.

XXX

Prince Jon stood over Althea as she lay on the cot in the dungeon. "Her dress is torn," he hissed, and then grabbed one of the men. "I told her she wasn't to be touched!"

"She put up quite a struggle, your Highness. It was unavoidable."

"When will she wake up?"

"Soonish I would think. I gave her laudanum, for she was quite agitated, screaming for someone named Emmett and Dr. House."

Prince Jon laughed. "Aye, the blacksmith and the doctor. Both grossly unsuitable for the likes of her. She belongs with someone of great nobility. Not to mention someone as young as she who can keep up with her."

"You should be so lucky," one of the men laughed, but was backhanded by the prince.

"Silence! I suggest you keep quiet or I shall have you thrown in the stocks."

"I beg your pardon, your highness," the man muttered as he rubbed his jaw.

"I have some business to attend to. I'm sure his Majesty, King Richard will be demanding her return. Let the negotiations begin," he laughed. "How much do you think he'd be willing to part with his dearest daughter?"

XXX

Emmett and House approached the field where someone said they saw Althea, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Wait, I see something, over there!" Emmett pointed to what looked like an article of clothing laying in the grass. He jumped off his horse and picked up the cap she sometimes wore when it was chilly. "This is hers. But where is she?"

House glanced around and saw a note. "I think I have a good idea." He unfolded the note and read it aloud.

_To his majesty, King Richard,_

_I have your daughter in safe keeping. If you wish her to be returned, you will see fit to give us your blessing so we may be wed. Your daughter has consented to marrying me of her own volition. I will be in touch to make further arrangements requiring her dowry. Humbly yours, Prince Jonathan."_

"Great Scott! God only knows what he's doing to her right this minute. We have to get her out of there."

"I don't even know where _there_ is, do you?"

"No."

"We need to get this to the King. He'll know what to do."

Emmett looked at House. "You have an idea, don't you?"

"I might. But the King needs to see this first."

X X X

The king read the note and was no doubt furious. "This means war!" he shouted.

"If it pleases his Majesty, I might have a solution on how to rescue the Princess," Emmett said as he stepped forward. "That said, I don't believe starting a war is the right course of action."

"He's right," House said. "If you storm the castle with canons and... whatever else you use, she'll be dead in two seconds.

The king paled and sat down. "You think... he would kill my daughter?"

"No, not the prince. He's too much of a coward to do it himself."

Emmett poked House in the side to get him to shut up. "I might have a plan. But I think it would be better to go in quietly. Dr. House and I could do it easily and bring your daughter back safe and sound."

The king laughed. "You and Dr. House? That's preposterous!"

"Your Majesty! A message has just arrived!" a page shouted from the doorway. "It's from his highness, Prince Jon!"

"Well, bring it to me then!"

The page quickly handed the letter to the king and stepped back, next to House and Emmett while he read the note.

"It says they are to be married tomorrow at noon and that if I want to see their future children, to pay her dowry. He's arranged a place to drop off the money tonight."

"Wow. That's almost too easy," House chuckled.

"Easy? How do you figure, Dr. House?"

"Emmett and I can go and drop off the money, and then take down whoever comes to collect it. Then we go to the castle and get her out of there. It is a castle, right?"

"Aye. Not as big as this one but a fair size. It will be very dangerous."

House cocked his eyebrow. "Danger is my middle name," he said in an ominous tone, similar to Austin Powers.

"Well, if you're sure..."

"Let us do this, your Majesty."

The king was considering it. "If I let you do this, you realize I will be forever in your debt, don't you?"

"Yes," House grinned. "Your daughter is worth it."

"You like her very much, don't you? And you too, Emmett."

"Yes, your Majesty," both men said together.

"Then go! You have my full support. I will grant you full immunity, but please, bring my daughter back unharmed."

Both House and Emmett bowed and quickly left the throne room.

"Danger is my middle name?" Emmett chuckled as they headed to his workshop.

"Shut up! I saw it in a movie, okay?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay so there is a piano in this chapter again. As I mentioned before, they weren't invented yet but hey, it's fiction. Who the hell cares? haha. Just indulge me this one time :) If I took it out, the scene just wouldn't work the same :)  
**

**Chapter Nine**

**Ireland/England border**

"See? I told you it would be a piece of cake," House whispered as Emmett helped him drag the man into the bushes and steal his clothes. "All he had to do was see the time machine and what did I tell ya? He fainted dead away."

"Let's hope Althea has the same reaction."

"If she doesn't, I brought some laudanum with me. Got the map?"

"Yeah," Emmett said as he handed over the drawing of Suffolk castle. "The princess is in this tower. So I'll be waiting outside in the Delorean. All you have to do is get her to the roof and I'll be there."

"You better be."

Althea sat on her cot, staring out the window. It was dark, and she wiped the tears from her eyes once again. But she wasn't crying about Emmett this time.

"Please, God," she prayed, "someone rescue me. Send me a knight in shining armor to take me from this god forsaken place."

House wandered through the corridor, looking through the peepholes of each door until he saw her. His heart almost stopped when he heard her quiet sobs.

"You there!" a man's voice boomed from the other end of the hall. "What ye be doing?"

"His royal anus wishes to see the Princess," House hissed. "But I don't have the key."

"Tis right here," the man said as he dangled the keys like a carrot in front of House's face. He wasn't fast enough to see the fist coming that knocked him to the floor. He tried all three keys on the ring before the door opened and he burst in, dressed in a suit of armor.

Althea got to her feet and stared at him. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"Well, if you're going to be that way about it, I'll just leave," House snickered.

There was something familiar about the man's voice so when she was close enough, she tipped up the visor on his helmet to reveal the gorgeous pair of blue eyes that haunted her dreams of late.

"Sir Gregory? How... what?..."

"Do you really want me to stick around and answer that or do you want to get out of here?"

There were voices out in the hall and House drew his sword and shoved her behind him. "Stay close. We're going to the roof."

"The roof? But the exit is downstairs."

"Just follow me," he said as he headed out into the hall and skewered two men with his long sword. At the base of the staircase leading up to the roof, Prince Jon appeared.

"You cannot escape, Dr. House," the man laughed. "There's nowhere to go from here."

"That's what you think," he said as he shoved Althea through the door. "Get up there!" he shouted to her before he closed the door behind her.

Prince Jon drew his sword and laughed again. "I will fight you to the death, sir!"

"Bring it on, asshole! And if you've laid a hand on her, or touched her in any way, I'll kill you myself."

"She is to be my wife and I will do with her as I see fit."

"She will never be your wife. You don't deserve her, and when I'm done with you, you'll be headed to the scaffold. This castle is surrounded by King Richard's men. You really think you're going to come out of this the winner? I outweigh you by at least a hundred pounds. You're no match for me in body or wits."

Prince Jon lunged with his sword but House sidestepped him and opened the door to the staircase leading up to the roof, hoping by then that Emmett had Althea safe.

Prince Jon Chased House up the stairs and Althea was there, standing at the ledge looking down in horror.

House and the Prince lunged and sidestepped each other with their swords. House had never used a sword in his life but it was actually not that difficult to anticipate what the Prince's next move was going to be.

Meanwhile, Emmett was sitting in the driver's seat of the Delorean with the passenger gull-wing door open as he beckoned Althea to jump down. But she was paralyzed with fear and all she could do was stare in wonder at the sight in front of her.

"She's mine! You'll never have her!" Prince Jon said as he lunged toward House, who jumped out of the way just as the Delorean rose higher so he was in view. Prince Jon paused and stared just as Doc opened his door and caught Jon in the chin, knocking him out cold.

"Althea, get in the car," House ordered.

"What're you going to do with him?" Emmett said as he gestured to the prince.

"Got room in the trunk?" House grinned as he took the rope he brought with him and hogtied him.

"Actually, yeah. He would fit in there."

Althea watched the two men pick up the Prince and stow him in the trunk. "Is he... dead?"

"No, he's just resting. My fist is no match for a stainless steel car door," House chuckled. "Now, get in, and Emmett will get you to safety, then we can all go home."

She hesitated and Emmett wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "It's safe. You can sit on House's lap. Once he gets out of that suit of armor of course."

With the three of them crammed in the car, Emmett flew them back to the castle in no time and stowed the car back in his workshop. As soon as they got out, Althea hugged Emmett, then threw her arms around House and held onto him for dear life. "I do not know how to repay you. I think you were sent to me by a miracle. I was praying for a knight in shining armor to come rescue me, and not but a short time later, you were standing there in the doorway."

House didn't know what to say, but he was looking into her green eyes as she smiled back at him with total adoration and new found affection. It was as if she were seeing him in a new light, and she liked what she saw.

Her hands unlocked from around his neck and they slid down to his chest as they stared at each other.

"Gregory," she said softly as she raised herself a little higher so she could look into his eyes.

"Hey, House, are you going to help me with this guy?" Emmett called out, causing Althea to step back from him.

"I'll just... go see my father."

"Good idea. And tell him we've got Ginger freak. They can come get him in the stable."

"Would you come with me?" She asked House.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. I need to help Emmett move this assclown and cover up the car."

She stared at the car like it was the eighth wonder of the world. "It is truly remarkable. I must go to America one day."

"That could be arranged," House thought to himself as he watched her go.

"I think she was waiting for you to kiss her," Emmett chuckled as the Prince started to slowly come around.

"Seriously? It's hero worship, nothing more."

"If you say so, but don't be surprised if his Majesty offers her to you. I wouldn't put it past him."

"What would be the point? I'm leaving when you are."

"And going back to what, exactly?"

"Medicine, duhh. I'm going crazy. These are truly the dark ages and I feel like I'm lost here. There are no challenges for me. I live for the puzzle. I solve the cases no other doctors can. So far the only real medical thing I've come across has been consumption, and I couldn't cure that anyway."

Emmett nodded. "I understand. It's been hell trying to come up with replacement parts for the time machine. It's taking a lot longer than I anticipated. But don't worry, I'll take you to the exact time you came from so it'll be like you never left."

House nodded. "I appreciate that. Well, I guess I better deliver this idiot to the tower and go see his Majesty. I'm sure he'll want to see me."

"Indeed he will. Good luck."

XXX

"Dr. House, I am definitely forever in your debt," the King said as he held his daughter close.

"You need to thank the Blacksmith too. He had a big hand in her rescue."

"I will indeed. I think you've done an amazing job, Dr. House. You will be rewarded accordingly. What would you like? I have a mind to elevate you to Duke status."

House blinked. "Why would you do that?"

"You've more than proven yourself worthy. You no longer have to earn your keep as the physician. You may move yourself to the home that once belonged to my late wife, on the castle grounds."

House thought. "That big house with the moss growing all over it?"

"Yes, that's the one. Does that suit your needs? Or would you like something larger?"

"That would do fine I think," House chuckled, trying to avoid the looks that Althea was giving him. She hadn't taken her eyes off of him since he arrived.

"In that case, please kneel, sir Gregory."

House got down on one knee and bowed his head. He'd seen a few elevations since he's been at court and he was down with the proper procedure.

"I dub thee, Gregory House, Duke of Yorkshire, bestowing upon you all the privileges set forth with your new status. You may rise, your Grace."

House almost laughed at that. Wilson would have a coronary if anyone even contemplated calling House that. He sighed when he thought about his best friend. He didn't know why it was the first time he'd thought about his friend in quite some time.

"You look sad, Gregory," Althea said softly. "Does this not make you happy?"

"Oh, yeah. It does, thank you, your Majesty."

"You may go. Of course, one of your duties as Duke is to collect the Prince from the tower and bring him to me."

House grinned then. "It would give me great pleasure, your Majesty."

He turned to go and Althea followed him. "May I walk with you, Your Grace?"

"You can just call me Greg. Or House. Hell, you're a Princess, call me whatever you want."

She smiled and placed a hand on his arm. "If you need assistance moving your things please don't hesitate to ask. I'll make sure you have all the help you need."

"Thank you," he said and then headed to the tower.

XXX

"Prince Jonathan of Suffolk. You are charged with kidnapping a royal princess and demanding a ransom."

"She was promised to me!" he shouted, and was quickly restrained as the judge shouted for order. "Now for your sentencing. You will be dragged through the streets to the town square and brought to the scaffold where you will be hanged until you're half dead. You will then be cut down and disemboweled. Your privy parts cut off and fed to the dogs, and then, finally, your head will be removed. You have until tomorrow at noon. Away with you," the judge said and watched as the Prince was led away.

"Ouch," House winced. "That sounds absolutely barbaric. I'm assuming the guy is alive while they do all this to him."

"Yep," Emmett said, who was also there to hear the final judgement. He studied House's face. "You're going to watch, aren't you?"

"Hell yes! I'm all over it. I've never seen it done in movies. This'll be a treat."

Emmett chuckled and patted his friend on the back. "You're a sick ticket, House. Or shall I say, Your Grace."

House chuckled. "House will be fine. I don't know why the King made me a Duke. What's it good for?"

"He pretty much gave you free reign to marry the princess. Dukes can marry princesses, after all."

"I don't even know her."

"So get to know her. Woo her. Court her. Or... whatever it is they do here."

"So if I get my own house, do I also get servants?"

"Yep. You'll love it. Might be lonely though. It's a big house."

"I know, I've seen it. But it beats the hell out of my room in the east wing."

"At least you don't have to treat patients anymore."

"No, true. Although I did tell his Majesty that I'm available for consults when the need arises."

"I'm sure they will. The doctors around here are clueless idiots."

House chuckled. "No kidding. I've had to give several of them strict lessons in hygiene and make sure they wash their hands properly before treating anyone. Well, it's late, I'm going to bed. I'll be moving into my new place tomorrow."

"Good. Thinking of entertaining a certain young lady?"

House shrugged. "I'll ask her, but that would almost be too easy."

"I thought you liked the thrill of the chase."

"I do. But I just don't know if she's interested."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, and that would be to ask her out."

"I haven't asked out a woman in... at least five years, let alone a woman in this century. And when she says yes, if she even does, then what? There's no music to make out by."

"So make your own. Or, if you want, you can borrow my portable CD player." Emmett chuckled when he remembered back to the day Althea saw it. "You should've seen her face when I showed it to her."

"Got anything decent to listen to? You don't strike me as the blues or jazz kinda guy."

"You're right. I do have a bunch of CD's, some of which are Marty's. He might have something you'll like. And I think the house you're moving into has a piano."

"Really? Well that'll work. I'll see you tomorrow in the town square. This I gotta see."

XXX

House had seen some sick things in all his years of being a doctor, but watching someone hang, and then be dismembered before decapitation, he felt sick to his stomach. And it took a lot to make him sick.

"Your Grace," Althea said when she saw him later. "Are you not well?"

"I'll be fine."

"Aye, you saw the Prince's execution."

"Did you?"

"No, I did not. My father does not wish me to witness such things."

"Good. Nobody should witness that. Although justice was done so that's one good way of looking at it. Still seemed pretty severe but, so be it."

"They do not do that where you come from?"

"Nope."

"What do they do?"

"Oh, they still hang people. In some states they still have death by firing squad. But there's also the gas chamber, lethal injection and..." he trailed off and decided against mentioning the electric chair.

"And?" she urged.

"I forget," he said and continued walking.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm moving into the house your father gave me. Where are you going?" he chuckled as she continued to follow him.

"I'd like to see the house if that pleases you. It's been some time since I've been inside."

"You want to walk through it with me? Sure," he shrugged his shoulders and approached the house that was covered in moss and ivy growing up the side of it. He unlocked the front door and was met with cold dampness that made him shiver.

"Damn, it's freezing in here," he said as he looked around the room. "Is there a fireplace?"

"Yes, in here," she said and walked into another room while he followed. There was indeed a large floor to ceiling fireplace with a stack of logs sitting next to it. "A fire would certainly warm things up," she smiled.

"Good idea," he said and tossed a few logs into the fire and then lit a match, from the box on the mantle. It took some work, but he eventually got a decent fire going and after standing in front of it for a few minutes, he warmed up. "So are you going to give me the grand tour?" he asked her.

She looked confused. "Grand tour?"

"Yeah, where you take me through all the rooms and show me where everything is."

"Oh," she giggled. "Of course. Follow me, your Grace."

House rolled his eyes but he kind of liked the sound of being called that, so he didn't correct her that time.

The house was pretty big. And he had a dozen servants who did everything from cooking to his laundry. "Don't you people ever put a fire on?" he asked one of them.

"Aye, Your Grace," one of them nodded. "I was just about to do that very thing and then you arrived and did it for me," he smiled.

"What's your name, kid?" House asked, because he was indeed just a boy.

"Stephen, your Grace."

"And what do you do?"

"Whatever you need, Your Grace."

"What I need is for you to stop calling me that."

The boy looked confused. "What should you like me to call you?"

"Dr. House is fine."

The boy bowed. "Yes, Dr. House. As you like."

The boy left them and Althea cocked her head to one side. "You prefer Dr. House over Your Grace? Why?"

"I am a doctor first and foremost. When I leave here I won't be a Duke where I come from."

She frowned. "You're leaving?"

He smiled at her. "You want me to stay?"

She stared at the ground, pretending to be interested in a dust bunny that she kicked around. "I thought that was clear."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yeah. Why do you want me to stay? I thought you only had eyes for Emmett."

"Emmett is a very good man, but he made it quite clear that he does not want to be with me... that way."

"So you moved on to me?"

Althea smiled impishly up at him. "I wouldn't put it quite that way, Greg. But ever since we met that fateful day in the woods, you have somehow managed to bewitch and enthrall me like no other." She reached up and gently ran her hand over his stubbled jaw. "You're a very nice man. A good man. Even if you don't want anyone else to know it."

He didn't know what to say to that so he just smiled at her and they continued to move through the house until they came to what looked like a ball room with a grand piano in the corner. "Wow," he said as he immediately crossed the room and sat down. "I wonder if it's in tune." He lifted the cover and hit middle C and discovered it was indeed in tune. "Niiiice." He began to play a tune that he composed in high school but was unfinished and Althea sat down next to him on the bench.

"It's very pretty. What is it called?"

"It doesn't have a name. That's all I've managed to write."

"You should finish it."

He shrugged. "Maybe one day." He began to play another song while she sat and listened and when he was finished, she clapped.

"You play very well. Where did you learn?"

"My Mom taught me. She gave lessons to all the kids in the neighborhood."

"She sounds nice."

"She is."

"Greg," she said softly as she inched a little closer to him, "do you like me?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Where did that come from?"

"I am just curious I suppose. You never let on."

"Oh, you mean why don't I bow to you and treat you like the delicate flower that you are?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Because you're above all that. You're not a typical princess. And besides, I have issues with authority."

"You treat my father as he should be treated."

House chuckled. "Yeah but he's the king. If I don't, I could end up like the ginger freak."

Althea laughed. "That would not happen. My father adores you, Greg." She placed her hand on his forearm and looked up at him. "And so do I."

He looked down at the hand on his arm and then at her. "Really?"

"Yes. Really. Why is it so hard to believe?"

"Because nobody else seems to adore me."

"They are fools," she said softly as she continued to look at him through her long lashes.

"Yes they are, but that's inevitable," he agreed as he kissed her forehead softly, then her cheek, taking in the smell of her hair.

She closed her eyes as he nuzzled her hair and kissed behind her ear. She made some sort of a purring sound as she tilted her head to give him better access to her neck. Then she giggled. "Your whiskers tickle. Do you ever shave?"

"No. Would you like me to? Although if I did, I don't know if you'd like it. The scruff makes me look badass. I have a rep to protect, you know," he murmured as he continued to kiss her neck.

That's when they heard someone clearing their throat. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Emmett inquired as he stood in the doorway and tried to look anywhere else but at them.

Althea jumped up and smoothed her skirts. "No, not at all. Don't be silly," she said in a rush, clearly embarrassed. "I... I should go."

"Althea, you don't have to go," House told her, but she was already out the door. He glared at Emmett. "Thanks loads."

Emmett held up his hands in a surrender motion. "Sorry. How was I supposed to know she was here?"

"Why are _you_ here?"

"I came to see if you needed my help but it appeared that you were well on your way to helping yourself."

"What am I supposed to do now?" House demanded.

"Go find her, tell her to come back. Why don't you invite her to dinner tonight?"

"Dinner?"

"Yeah. You know, like a date."

"I don't cook."

"You don't have to. In case you've forgotten, you've got a house full of servants just waiting to do your bidding. Tell her it's a housewarming party, pun intended, but don't mention that she's the only guest."

House thought about it. It was actually a good idea. "Wow, you're a hopeless romantic, aren't you, Brown?"

"Hopeful," he grinned. "There is a difference, you know."

"Right. So, if you were an embarrassed Princess, where would you go?"

"She probably went for a ride in the woods."

"Hmm. You're probably right. Okay then, I'll go ask her. God," he groaned as he scratched his forehead with his thumb, "I haven't asked a woman out in ages. This will be interesting."

On the way out, he instructed the staff as to his plans for the evening and they seemed all too happy to help him. He then went to the stable, saddled up a horse and set off to find Althea.

It didn't take him long to find her. He heard the music first so he climbed off and led the horse to where she was sitting next to a stream.

She was singing and playing a lute but she stopped when he approached.

"Relax, it's just me," he said as he came over. "Another talent you've hidden from me. Interesting."

"I did not hide it. I simply never mentioned it."

"Why not?"

"My father says it is a waste of time."

"Something you enjoy isn't a waste of time."

"That is not what he thinks. What are you doing here?"

"You left before I could ask you to stay for dinner."

She blinked. "Dinner?"

"Oh, right, you call it supper. Anyway, think of it as a housewarming party."

Althea giggled. "Interesting play on words, your Grace, err... Greg."

"Yeah yeah. I'm a funny guy. So will you?"

"Will I what?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come for dinner? You left in quite a hurry. What was that about anyway? You think Emmett would care if he saw us?"

"I do not want to hurt him," she said softly.

"Emmett's a big boy. He can handle it. Besides, we weren't doing anything scandalous. Not yet, anyway," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

She blushed a very becoming shade of pink. "Will you play another one of your songs for me on the piano?"

He nodded. "You should bring your lute. We can have a jam session."

She cocked her head to one side. "Jam session?"

"Yeah, that's what you call it when two people play instruments together."

"Oh, I see. Well, I think that would be lovely. Yes, I will come to dinner, Greg. Thank you for the invitation," she smiled. "What time would you like me to be there?"

"Six O'clock is fine."


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Okay so you wanted it, here it is. House and Althea are going to do the mattress mambo! Hahaha. Man, that sounded so...tawdry and cheap. I hope the scene itself doesn't come off that way :) Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Ten**

House sat in the living area sipping some wine as he waited for Althea to arrive. It was still early, just five-thirty, but he was oddly nervous. He could smell dinner cooking as the cook worked in the kitchen preparing a roast beef with all the trimmings and his mouth was watering. He scratched his cheek, missing the usual stubble that grew there. He decided to shave for the first time in years, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it, or if Althea would even like it, but he figured what the hell? It would grow back in a few days or so. The idea that he did such a thing for a girl made him chuckle to himself as he continued to stroke his invisible scruff. And she was just that, a girl. Back home he'd be chastised and frowned upon for even looking at her. And here he was, getting a woody just thinking about her, how soft her hair was, the way she smelled and the way she smiled at him.

But would a princess such as her even give it up to him? He doubted so. On the other hand, she seemed to like being with him, and if Emmett hadn't shown up, who knows what might've happened? Her sister certainly wasn't shy, or innocent, but Althea definitely was, and House wasn't sure he should even consider it. Would he ruin her? Tarnish her reputation? Even though she was a princess who could do as she pleased, would sex before marriage make her unable to marry? Would her father go ape shit crazy because he deflowered her? He didn't want to think about the repercussions of that last one. With any luck, if it did happen, she'd keep her mouth shut and he wouldn't find out.

There was a knock at the front door and House chuckled. Wouldnt she just walk in? But he stood up when she was led into the room. "Hi," he said as his eyes took in her appearance.

She was truly a vision of lovliness in her burgundy dress. her long dark hair was down for a change and hung in thick ringlets over her shoulders. "Hello. I'm afraid I'm a little early."

"Fine with me. How about some wine? I think dinner will be awhile yet."

"Wine would be nice, thank you," she nodded as she came further into the room. "It's nice and warm in here now."

"Yeah. I've had a fire going all afternoon. This place was pretty damp before."

"Yes I can imagine."

God, but she looked amazing! He now knew why Emmett had a hard time staying away from her. "Have a seat," he said, patting the cushion next to him on the couch as he sat.

"Alright."

She came over and sat down, crossing her legs at the ankles. There was an awkward silence and House shook his head. For once he had no idea what to say. "So has your father got anyone in line for you to marry next?"

"No, not yet. I think he's given up, and that is fine with me. I am not interested in getting married just now."

"You're not? How come?"

"I'm tired of meeting potential suitors that my father has chosen, only to have them fail me in one way or another."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe your standards are too high?"

She laughed. "I am a princess. I must choose wisely because whomever I marry could end up on the throne one day. It would not do to marry a total buffoon."

"You have a point. I've said it before but it bears repeating. You need to get out, see the world and live it up before you get married. Because then you probably won't be able to go anywhere. I have no doubt that whoever you choose will expect you to simply give him babies and be his trophy wife and his ticket to becoming king."

Althea nodded. "Yes, you're right. I'd much rather take my time, and find someone worthy of my affections." She placed her small hand over his as she looked up at him through her thick eyelashes. "Like you, for instance."

House laughed. "Wouldn't your father just love that?"

"Probably not. Which is why I don't talk to him about my personal life."

House let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. That was one less thing to worry about.

"So what you're saying is that if you gave yourself to someone other than the man you plan to marry, you wouldn't tell him?"

"No. Although whoever I plan to marry will no doubt have me checked by a physician to ensure my maidenhead is intact. If it is not, there will no doubt be hell to pay."

House chuckled. "You know, you can be a virgin and not be intact."

She cocked her head to one side. "Really?"

"Yeah. You ride horses, don't you? Have you been riding long?"

"Since I could walk," she smiled.

"Do a lot of jumping, that kind of stuff?"

"Of course."

"Well that can rupture your hymen."

"Hymen?"

House gave his head a shake. "Sorry. That's the medical term for your maidenhead, as you call it."

"Oh, I see. I did not know that."

"Of course, if you do have to get that exam done, just make sure I'm the doctor to do it. I have no issue lying. And I doubt your husband will be able to tell one way or the other. Just scream lots like you're in pain."

Althea blushed and took another sip of her wine. "I've said it before, but you're very easy to talk to. I feel like I can tell you anything."

"You can. It's nothing I haven't heard before. I've been a doctor for a long time."

"How long?"

"Fifteen years, give or take."

"Wow. How old are you?"

House chuckled as he topped off both their glasses. "I hit the big 4-0 just before I ended up here."

She scrunched her brow in confusion. "Ended up?"

"It's a long story. One day I'll tell you about it. But not now. I will tell you that Emmett and I are from the same place."

"Yes, he's from America also."

"Yeah but we're on opposite sides of the country. And its a big country."

"Yes. I'd love to go there."

"Really?"

"Yes. It sounds so exciting."

"You should go at least once. Tell your father you want to see what the rest of the world has to offer."

"I might just have to do that," she smiled.

A young man entered the room. "Dinner is served, your Highness, Dr. House."

"Great. I'm starving." House got up and offered his arm to Althea. "Well, into the fray?"

She tucked her arm through his and smiled. "We shall."

XXX

The fire was slowly dying and the room was getting chilly again. "I'll get the fire going," House said as he tossed a few logs in and stoked it. Before long, it was blazing again. "There. So, did you bring your lute?"

"Yes. I'll go get it," she said and then hurried out of the room. When she returned, House was sitting at his piano.

"So what kind of music do you like to play?"

"I do not know what you call it. Folk?"

House made a face. "How about you just play something you like and I'll join in."

"Alright, I suppose we could do it that way."

He listened to her strum some chords for a few minutes before he added his own parts on piano. They had the makings of a nice song, and when it was over, she looked thrilled.

"That was very nice. I did not realize jamming could be so much fun or so... liberating."

House chuckled. "If you have the right pairing, it can be quite fun. Want to do another?"

"Yes, please."

He smiled and began to play the intro to St. James Infirmary. At first she just listened, but then she figured it out and simply strummed along.

"What do you call that one?"

"St. James Infirmary. it's an oldie but a goodie."

She looked confused and then smiled. "Another saying from your country?"

"Yeah."

She put the lute aside and sat next to him on the bench. "I'm having a severe case of deja vu," he laughed.

"What does that mean?"

"It's when you get the feeling that you've done something before."

"Oh, then yes, me too."

He looked down at her, and watched her pick an imaginary piece of lint off his shirt.

"Does your father know where you are?"

"No."

"Naughty girl. Where does he think you are?"

"In my chambers reading."

"And if he should check up on you?"

"He never does."

"He trusts you that much?"

"Yes. I have not given him any reason not to."

"Interesting," he said as he turned to face her. He reached over and ran his fingers through the soft curls of her hair. "Your hair is so soft."

"Thank you," she blushed as she looked away.

"Nervous, Althea?"

"A little," she nodded. "Nobody has ever courted me like this before."

"Never?"

"No."

"What makes you think I'm courting you? I could simply just be trying to get you into my bed."

She smiled impishly at him. "And here I stay."

"That doesn't shock you?"

"Not as much as your bluntness."

"Life's too short to beat around the bush."

She giggled. "I'm not even going to ask you what that means."

"It means life's too short to waste time. We could both be gone tomorrow."

"You are so right," she said and then reached up to touch his face. "You shaved."

"I did."

"You did that for me?"

"I was curious to see how you'd like it. Do you?"

She cocked her head to one side as she continued to caress his cheek, running her finger down his jaw line. "I'm... not sure. I've gotten so used to seeing the beard. It makes you look much older."

"That's it. I'm growing the beard back," he chuckled as he rolled his eyes.

"I think you look very handsome either way," she said as she reached up and softly kissed his cheek. "I might miss the way your whiskers tickled my lips."

"Well if you want me to grow it back, just say the word."

"We shall see. Normally, I do not care for facial hair on a man but it suits you."

He nodded and leaned over to kiss her. She leaned up in return and their lips met half way in the middle.

God, her lips were so soft and sweet. He could taste the wine as his lips brushed against hers. His heart was beating fast and he gently sucked on her lower lip as if to ask permission to take the kiss deeper. She opened her mouth under his and her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders.

His tongue slipped past her lips and into the honeyed depths of her mouth as she eagerly responded, moving a little closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pressed his body against hers.

But soon, the piano bench was no longer comfortable and he broke away from her.

Her lips were pink and so were her cheeks as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Wow," she whispered as her hands linked around his neck.

"Yeah. How about we go somewhere more comfortable?" he whispered as he began kissing her neck, nipping at it, making her purr like a kitten.

"What did you have in mind, Dr. House?" she grinned.

"That's up to you. Where would you be more comfortable?"

"Somewhere away from prying eyes."

"I know just the place," he said and got up. He offered her his hand which she took willingly and led her up the stairs to the master bedroom. Someone had been in there because there was a fire burning in the fireplace and the bed was turned down.

"This is very cozy," she whispered as she looked around. "And now I am nervous."

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"No?"

"Did you think I was going to force you? I'm merely your humble servant."

She smiled. "I would not be in a servant's bedroom," she smiled.

"That's reassuring. Have you ever been in any man's bedroom?" he asked as he led her towards the bed where they both sat down on the end of it.

"No, never. It was not allowed."

"I can believe that."

"Greg?" she whispered as he tugged at one of the ribbons of her bodice.

"Mhm?"

"I'm afraid I'm quite inexperienced."

"There's no right or wrong," he whispered as he continued to tug at the ties until her breasts threatened to come out. He ran his finger along the top of them and her breath hitched. "Never been with a man this way?"

She shook her head, watching his fingers intently as they brushed over her skin. "Stop me anytime," he said before he captured her lips with his and slipped his tongue into her mouth, exploring and searching as his hand slid down over her breast.

"Oh Greg," she breathed as he lowered her against the mattress and freed her breasts before taking one of her nipples into his mouth. Her back arched and her eyes closed as she whimpered and gripped his biceps. He glanced up at her and grinned before playfully taking a nipple between his teeth and tugging on it. She gasped and her eyes flipped open. He backed off and frowned. "Too much too soon?"

"N... no. I just... I suppose I'm just not used to this."

"But it's good, right?"

"Oh yes, Greg. Very, very good. I never knew it could be like this."

"It should be." He kissed her again as he paid lavish attention to her breasts. She was perfect. Everything was perfect. Her breasts fit perfectly in his hands and her lips felt amazing against his. She was a very good kisser and he wondered how many men she'd kissed in her lifetime.

In a moment of bravery, she reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt so she could slide her hands inside and feel his chest.

"You have a very manly chest, Greg."

"Manly, huh?"

"Yes. Most of the men I've seen have no chest hair, or muscles. Mind you, I have not seen too many men without their shirts on."

She leaned up and placed a kiss over his heart, and then kissed her way up to the base of his throat where he hissed. She found one of his erogenous zones and he thought he was going to go insane.

"Althea," he moaned as she continued to kiss along his jaw line and finally reached his mouth where she kissed him deeply.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you want this?" he asks as his hand traveled down and up under her skirts. When he touched her bare leg she gasped.

"I want you to show me everything, Greg. Show me what it is supposed to be like so when the time comes, I'll know how it should be between a woman and a man who care about each other."

"I want to show you everything. Let me show you. Let me be your teacher."

"I would love nothing more. I'm just... nervous. And...a little afraid because... I don't know what to expect."

"I'll go slowly," he whispered as he stroked her leg. God, was there a spot anywhere that wasn't as soft as satin? He could feel her garters that held her stockings up and he pulled them off one by one, leaving her legs bare. And when he slid his hand higher, he discovered she wasn't wearing any underwear.

She was shaking like a leaf and he stopped. "It's okay," he whispered as he kissed her again. He brought his hand out from under her dress and then he stood up and began stripping down. "It might be easier if we just get our clothes out of the way. I mean, they're gonna have to come off eventually."

She blushed. "You wish me to be nude?"

He paused as he unbuttoned his breeches. "That's usually the way it's done. Although even with you going commando under that dress, you have too many layers. Aren't you warm? You'd be much cooler in the buff."

"Buff?"

He pulled off his pants and stood there in just his shorts, a very visible tent in them, causing her eyes to widen.

"Oh my," she whispered and covered her mouth as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Althea," he said as he stepped closer. "You can change over there if you want," he said, pointing to the privacy screen. "One of my shirts is hanging there, you can put it on. It'll be big on you but it'll make you feel less vulnerable."

He climbed into bed, fluffed the pillows a little and propped himself up against the headboard as he waited for her. It took several minutes but she was finally able to free herself of the gown she wore and put on his blue shirt. When she came out from behind the screen, she looked adorable, and very nervous. The shirt was indeed big on her, coming down just above her knees but she looked sexy as hell as she stood in front of the bed. He pulled the covers back on her side and patted the sheets. "I don't bite, Princess. Unless of course you like that," he grinned.

She hesitated but then quickly climbed in and pulled the covers up to her chin, staring at him with wide eyed fascination.

"I cannot believe I'm here," she whispered. "I have never been in the same bed with a man."

"We don't have to do anything, you know. We could just lie here and enjoy being with each other."

_God that sounded corny!_ He thought to himself and then chuckled. He was going soft in his old age.

"Really?"

"What? Did you think I would jump all over you the minute you got into my bed?"

"My sister said you are... quite skilled as a lover. As have the other ladies who have been lucky enough to have you in their bed."

House couldn't suppress the grin. "I could show you what the fuss is about. The problem is that if it's good, you'll want it again. Even crave it."

"Yes, Charlotte said that too. And if it's not good?" she grinned.

"I haven't had any complaints before," he said as he lowered the covers and exposed the rest of her. "And besides, how would you know one way or another if it's not good? You've never done this before."

Althea gave him a look. "If I scream, it was good. If I do not scream, then it was not."

He couldn't fault her logic there.

"Well then, Princess, I've got my work cut out for me, don't I?" he grinned as he slid his hand up her leg, across her stomach and up to her breast which he caressed through the shirt.

Her breath hitched and her eyes fluttered closed as he unbuttoned the shirt, kissing each bit of exposed skin until all the buttons were undone. He kissed the valley between her breasts, across her stomach and encircled her belly button with his tongue, dipping it inside as she gasped and gripped the sheets.

"Let's just get this out of the way," he whispered as he tugged on the shirt and pulled it from her. She lay naked in front of him and he admired her body. She was in excellent shape, slim and firm. There wasn't an ounce of fat on her anywhere that he could see. "You're beautiful, Princess."

She blushed as she gazed up at him, modestly covering her most private parts with her hands. "Thank you."

He gently brushed her hands away and replaced them with his as he gently touched her everywhere, taking note of what spots made her sigh and which ones made her gasp and react the most.

When he slid his fingers to that one spot where he knew she was longing for, she gasped, opened her eyes and grabbed a fistful of his hair. "Greg? What... are you doing?"

"Just exploring," he said back with a smile as he moved his hand against her very wet folds and watched her squirm. "You like it?"

"Oh... yes..."

"Want me to stop?"

"No! God... no," she moaned and threw her head back against the pillows as he continued to stroke her.

She was writhing and panting and he decided to see just how ready she was as he slipped a finger into her tight passage and watched her with amusement.

"Greg!"

"Like it?"

"Oh yes..."

He moved so he was kneeling between her legs and he began placing kisses down her body until he reached his destination. With one long lick, she literally screamed and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

He began moving his finger in and out as he licked and it became apparent that yes, indeed, her hymen was no longer intact. For that, he was relieved.

God, but she was still so tight. His cock throbbed at the very thought of what waited for him. He had no doubt she would feel absolutely amazing.

"Oh Greg... this feels so... amazing and... oh!" she gasped as he worked his tongue faster. He could feel her release coming fast, and he wanted to take her all the way over the edge. He knew she had reached it when her inner walls began to flex around his finger and she let out a deep, feral groan as she gripped his hair and curled her toes.

He took that opportunity to remove his shorts and slip back under the covers. He held her against him as she came down from the intensity of her orgasm and when she was finally calm again, she slowly opened her eyes and stared up at him.

"Oh my God," she whispered as she touched his face. "Was that what I think it was?"

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Oh yeah. A very good one. And that was just the first part of what comes next."

"There's more?"

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Oh yeah, baby. I told you I'd show you everything and I will."

"If it's better than what you just did, I am in trouble," she giggled.

"Big trouble," he nodded as he rolled on top of her once again and settled himself between her legs.

"Show me, Greg."

He nodded. "I'll try not to hurt you," he said as he rubbed her still wet core with his cock a few times.

"Ohhh," she sighed, "that feels... nice."

House chuckled and then entered her very slowly, inch by inch, letting her adjust to his size. It was a perfect fit and he had to shut his eyes and think of something else.

"Oh Greg, I never imagined it would feel this good!" she gasped once he was all the way inside, and then pulled out again. His lips crashed against hers and she kissed him back as she caught on and began to move with him, stroke for stroke.

"Oh God," he groaned as he picked up the pace a little, his hands slid down her arms, out to her hands as he held them down against the mattress.

Their fingers interlaced and she tried to keep her eyes on him, but they kept wanting to flutter closed again. "So beautiful," he whispered as he nipped at her neck. "So sexy."

"Greg! Don't stop!" she cried out as she bucked her hips faster in time with his. "Oh God... I think it's happening again... Greg!"

He could feel her inner walls squeezing and flexing around his cock and he changed the angle so he was able to hit her G-spot on each thrust.

That was when she screamed his name and went limp like a rag doll as he finished with a few more deep strokes before falling over the edge himself.

He lay on top of her, his face buried in her hair as he tried to catch his breath. They were both bathed in sweat and breathing heavily from the strenuous workout they'd just had.

Finally, he rolled off of her and stared up at the ceiling as she pulled the covers back over them.

When she shivered, he glanced over at her. "Cold?"

"A little. The fire seems to have died."

He pulled her close so she could rest her cheek against his chest and they fell asleep like that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Seven O'clock, a.m.

House woke up to a very chilly bedroom and shivered. When he reached for Althea, all he felt were the cold sheets next to him and he frowned. The frown didn't last for long, however, when he thought back to the night before. As he got up, he saw the note on the pillow next to him and he snatched it up.

_My dearest Greg,_

_Thank you for last night. It was truly the best night of my life. You're an amazing man. _

_I'm sorry I left you so early, I had to be back at the castle before father realized I was gone all night. I will see you soon._

_Your Princess Althea_

He read the note again, put it on his dresser and got dressed for the day before going to the outhouse as per his usual routine.

After eating a very hearty breakfast, he headed to the castle in search of the Princess.

He spotted her walking through the garden with her nose in a book. Her face looked radiant and there was a slight smile on her face. He stood and watched her for awhile and she would often stop, look around with a dreamy expression and then go back to reading her book. He hurried his pace until he caught up with her.

"Excuse me, Princess but I couldn't help noticing you look like a woman who's recently been made love to," he said in a deep voice.

She squeaked when he approached and looked around to see if anyone was watching but there was nobody to be seen.

"Not here," she said.

"Oh, okay well maybe not here but..."

"I mean we can't talk just now."

"Why not? I never took you for the love em and leave em type. I'm hurt."

She stopped walking and looked at him. "I'm sorry, Greg. That isn't what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"Follow me," she whispered and began walking swiftly towards a gazebo in the center of a maze of trees. "I am in a little bit of hot water."

"Why? What happened?"

"I was seen returning to the castle early this morning and my father heard of it."

"So? What did you tell him?"

"That I needed to use the privy and that was that."

"Do you think he bought it?"

She scrunched up her face in confusion. "Bought it?"

"Do you think he believed you?"

"Oh, I am not sure. He didn't seem entirely convinced, but he trusts me so I hope he did."

"Good." He gently reached over and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I missed you this morning. You should have woken me up. I would have walked you back myself."

She smiled. "You looked so peaceful, I did not want to wake you. You deserved your sleep."

He grinned and pulled her a little closer. "You don't have to be shy around me anymore," he whispered before leaning over and kissing her deeply, letting his tongue explore her mouth.

"I am not."

"How're you feeling this morning?"

"I am... how do I say this?"

"A little sore?" he chuckled.

"Yes! How did you..."

"I'm a doctor remember. A vigorous evening of sex, or rather, the kind of sex we had, is bound to make you a little sore. You used muscles you haven't used before. A hot bath will help. As well as these." He reached into his pocket and produced a couple of Tylenol caplets.

"Thank you, Doctor," she smiled as she took the pills and dry swallowed them.

"So, have you told Emmett yet?"

Her eyes widened. "You expect me to tell him what we... no. I have no intention of telling anyone."

"Why not? Are you ashamed of me?" he asked, arching his eyebrows at her.

"Absolutely not!"

He laughed at the look of horror on her face and kissed her forehead. "Relax. I'm just messing with you. I don't care who you tell."

"I don't plan on telling anyone."

"Right, because a lady doesn't kiss and tell. But let me ask, did you enjoy yourself last night?"

She blushed a very pretty shade of pink. "Yes," she whispered as she looked down at the hands folded in her lap. "Did you get my note?"

"Yeah."

"Well I meant everything I said. You were kind, gentle, respectful. You're a wonderful man, Greg. And do not doubt that for a second."

"Uh-huh. You would be singing a different tune if you really knew me."

"I'd like to know you."

"You have carnal knowledge of me at least," he grinned.

"And you, me," she smiled. "I never felt such ecstasy before. You have opened my eyes to what it is like to give yourself to one person that way. I felt you could see right through me, into my soul, and it was the most amazing feeling. I'll never forget it, and I know you've ruined me for any other man."

"That was the idea," he said as he pulled her further into his arms and kissed her again. "So the next time you give yourself to that one lucky guy, you won't be able to without comparing him to me."

She giggled as he nuzzled her neck and nipped at the sensitive skin at the base of her throat. "Gregory House, don't you dare give me a love bite!" she gasped.

"Too late," he chuckled.

"Greg," she whined.

"Relax. Your hair will cover it. Just keep it down for a week."

"A week?"

He grinned sheepishly but silenced her by pressing his lips against her and placing his hands on her ample breasts. he loved the way her dress showed off her cleavage and it made him want to shove his face between the valley of her breasts and stay there.

"Althea... want you... right now," he growled as he slipped his hand down underneath her skirts and stroked her, finding her already wet and very ready for him.

"We can't... not here."

"There's nobody around," he said as he quickly unbuttoned his pants and released his very throbbing erection. "Sit here," he said as he patted his lap. "Lift your dress a bit."

She looked doubtfully at him for a second, and hesitated, but eventually she complied and did as he asked. He gripped his shaft in his hand and guided it to her entrance.

She let out the deep feral growl that he was beginning to crave as she sank down onto him and gripped his shoulders.

"Now there, see? If you want it bad enough, you can have it," he whispered as he kissed her throat and worked his way up her neck.

"Oh Greg!" she gasped as she moved up and down on him as he gripped her hips to guide her movements as to how he wanted them. Then once it seemed she was well on her way to setting the pace, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him.

"So good... keep going," he urged as he bucked his hips up into her harder so she screamed.

"Greg! Oh my God... I'm...I feel..."

"Let go," he whispered as her inner walls strangled his cock like a vice and he shut his eyes to control his own climax. But it was not meant to be. He held her tightly as he bucked up into her and exploded until he saw fireworks behind his eyelids and she screamed his name once again.

They sat in that position for a few minutes, neither of them wanting to move just yet. But eventually he fell out of her and she got up and smoothed her skirts.

"Amazing. Absolutely amazing," she whispered. Suddenly, she saw her sister coming towards them, just as House had finished adjusting his clothing. He was sure they weren't fooling anyone. Anyone in their right mind would have been able to put two and two together and know what just transpired.

Charlotte looked amused as she entered the gazebo and surveyed the two of them. "Hello, your grace."

"Charlotte," he nodded in acknowledgement. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"I saw my sister in the garden but then she disappeared and I was curious."

"I see. If you'd arrived a few minutes earlier you might've been able to join us."

"Greg!" both Charlotte and Althea said together in disgust.

"What?" he shrugged. "Anyway, I have to go and see a patient about a boil on his ass. I'll see you around, ladies," he smiled and made his exit.

"There he goes," Althea sighed as she watched him walk away. "I love to watch him go."

"Am I correct to assume you spent the night with his Grace?"

"What? What makes you think that?"

Charlotte gave her sister a look. "You cannot fool me, sister. Not that I can blame you one bit. He is quite a maestro, yes?"

"Quite."

"Just take care. He is not the type to stay around long."

"Oh, I don't know about that. He was the one who went looking for me out this morning. He wanted me, Charlotte. He likes me. Not just for my body, but my mind as well. And I like him too."

"But do you love him?"

"I don't know. I think I certainly could get to love him in time. He's brilliant, and he makes me laugh."

"And moan," Charlotte added with a wistful sigh. "You best be careful. I think Daddy is out for his head."

"Why? He loves Greg."

"Not when Greg deflowers the future Queen of England."

"He is ridiculous if he expects me to save myself for some good for nothing prince. I have no intention of seeing anyone else as long as Greg is here."

"And when he leaves? What then?"

"I don't know. I hope that won't be for a long while."

XXX

Emmett grinned like a cheshire cat as he sat behind the wheel of the Delorean and programmed the computer and the time circuits. He had installed a program before he ended up in London that would allow him to go to any place and time he wanted, rather than staying in Hill Valley.

He was so immersed in what he was doing that he didn't hear Althea approach. "Emmett? What are you doing?"

He got up so fast that he bumped his head on the gullwing door and cursed. "Damnit! Oh, sorry. You scared me. I thought you were someone else."

"I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you. If you are busy I can leave you in peace."

"No, no. It's alright. What can I do for you?"

"Have you heard anything about my father being out for Greg's head?"

"No, I can't say that I have. Why would he be?"

Althea looked at the ground and the light bulb went on over Emmett's head. "Oh. Oh! You didn't..."

She nodded and gave a sheepish grin. "I did indeed."

He couldn't help the feeling of his heart being pierced with an arrow and he slowly sat back down in the driver's seat. "I see. And how was it?"

Her eyes widened and she frowned. "How was what?"

"I'm sorry. It's none of my business. I apologize."

"No. I mean yes. It was an experience I will surely never again have with anyone else."

"I'm happy for you, Althea. I'm thrilled that you're happy."

"Thank you. I don't really know how I feel about the whole thing. While it was amazing, I worry about the future."

"I understand."

"I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to latch onto Greg and not let go, and the other part says not to get too attached because I won't have him for long."

"I don't know how to advise you on this. You know that when I leave, House is coming with me, don't you?"

"Yes," she said softly.

"And it will be very soon. A week tops. The car is almost repaired and ready for the trip. I just need to tie up loose ends here. Find a replacement blacksmith."

"Does my father know?"

"Yes."

She fidgeted a little. "What if... what if I came with you?"

Emmett's eyes widened. "Why? You have a life here. A father who adores you and the chance to be Queen one day. Why would you want to leave all that behind?"

"I want to see the world, Emmett. I can't do that as it stands now."

"Why not? If you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."

"I'd love to see America. I'll bet it's lovely, based on all the things you and Greg have said about it."

Emmett cleared his throat. "Althea, I think you'd find the changes a little difficult to deal with. There's more to it than I've told you."

She cocked her head to one side. "More?"

"A lot more. I could tell you but I don't know if you'll understand, and I don't know if I can simplify it so you will."

She sat down on a nearby stool. "Try me. I might be a woman but I'm not a simpleton."

He gave her a look. "Have I ever implied that you are?"

"Well... no."

"Look, if I tell you, you have to keep it a secret. And when I say secret, I mean you can't breathe a word of it to anyone."

"Not even Greg?"

"He already knows."

She looked surprised. "He does?"

"Yes. Which is why he's going with me. I'm going to take him home. Tell me something, what was your first impression of me when you first saw me?"

"Honestly?" she asked and blushed a little. "I thought you were some deranged old man who was lost."

He laughed and shook his head. "Not surprising. Back home I'm what they call a crackpot."

"What is that?"

"It's a rude word for crazy person."

"And calling someone crazy is not rude in itself?"

"Well, yeah, that's true but I'm used to it. I've been called worse things."

"I don't believe it."

"It's true. But it doesn't matter. I know I'm not crazy. That's good enough for me."

"And this... car as you call it. What does it do, besides fly?"

Emmett hesitated. "Althea... I came from the year 1985."

Her breath hitched and she blinked a couple of times. "That's impossible."

"No, it's not. Look," he said as he showed her the computer. "See here? This shows where I am, where I'm going and where I was. And here," he said as he took his wallet out of the glove compartment. "Look at my driver's license. See the date?"

She paled and closed her eyes. "I don't understand any of this... how it's possible. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Talk to House. See how he feels. If he wants to take you with us then fine. But I think it's a mistake. You belong here. House and I do not. Every minute we're here can be hazardous to the space time continuum."

She cocked her head to one side. "I do not know what that is, but it sounds frightening."

"It very well could be. So go talk to House. See what he has to say. But don't get your hopes up. You don't know what his life was like back home. It might not be what you expect."

Althea left his place in a daze. So many thoughts were going through her head she didn't even know how to begin sorting through them all. As she approached House's place, she stopped cold when she saw two armed guards standing outside at attention. "Oh no," she sighed as she picked up the pace a little. Two more men led House outside and he didn't seem to be resisting much at all.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded of one of the men.

"Althea, don't. It's fine," House assured her. "I'll talk to you later."

"What's happening?"

"Your father wishes to see me. I can only imagine what for," he smirked as he was led away.

"I'm coming with you."

"Suit yourself," he shrugged. "But it might not be pretty."

King Richard sat in the throne room waiting patiently for House and when he arrived, the two men glared at each other.

"Dr. House, am I to understand that you lured my youngest daughter to your bed last evening?"

"Wow. Getting right to it, huh? Yes, that's true, your majesty."

"Give me one reason why I should not send you to the tower to be executed."

"Father, wait!" Althea shouted as she burst into the room.

"Althea, this does not concern you. Go now."

"No, I will not."

The king stared her down but she didn't move. "This concerns me too. And I do not appreciate you discussing MY life without me in the room."

"She has a point, your Majesty," House said, but was met with a hard smack to his face delivered by the king himself.

"Silence! You will speak when spoken to."

House rubbed his cheek but didn't say anything more.

"I wanted to be with him, father. So I went. He did not lure me. I went willingly. And I will gladly go again."

The king looked at House and then back to his doctor. "You can't be serious."

"I am serious. I love him, father. And I will not have you sending him to the tower for that. He has done nothing wrong."

"He deflowered you! Who will marry you now, being tainted goods? No man will want a woman who is not a virgin."

"Then so be it. But I am done with you choosing a husband for me. So far the last two choices have been horrible."

"And you want him? He's too old for the likes of you."

"He's younger than the Duke was. And didn't you make Greg a Duke so he could marry whom he chooses?"

"Well yes... but I didn't mean for him to turn to my own daughter who will one day be Queen. Now I do not know if that is even possible, now that you've given yourself to another."

"What would be worse, father? Having me be happy with a man who treats me well, or being miserable with a man who only wants to marry me for what I can give him? And one that treats me horribly as well."

He stared at House. "What are your intentions towards my daughter? Do you love her?"

"Love is a strong word, your Majesty. I... care about her a great deal but I still have a lot to learn about her. And I'll be leaving soon, with the blacksmith. I mentioned that to you from the beginning."

"Aye, you did. But that was before you messed with both my lovely daughters. And yes, I know all about Charlotte."

"With all due respect, your majesty, so does the rest of court."

The king raised his hand to strike House again but Althea jumped in front of him. "That's enough, father! Greg has done nothing wrong."

"He used you, took advantage of you and now he's leaving. Is that the kind of man you wish to be with?"

"He and I have a lot to talk about."

"The hell you do!"

"Yes, we do. I'm an adult, father. Please, start treating me like one. Have I ever let you down?"

"No, you have not." He sat back down and glared at Greg. "And you, if I so much as hear of any wrong doing, I will have your head. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, your Majesty," House nodded and bowed before leaving the room.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Althea."

"Me too, father. Me too."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"I really enjoyed that, Princess. Thanks a lot," House said as he walked swiftly while Althea struggled to keep up.

"I am sorry my father did that and said those things. But can you blame him?"

"No. It just makes me feel even more like crap than I did before."

"Crap?"

"I feel bad, okay? And that's the only admission you're going to get from me. I have a patient so I'll see you later."

She stood and watched him leave and made an effort to visit him later in the evening. House's servant answered the door and let her in. "Your highness."

"Is Dr. House in?"

"Aye. He be in the study."

"Thank you."

She found him with his head lying on an open book, dozing off. She moved closer and then leaned over to gently touch her lips to his. He awoke with a start and nearly knocked her over.

"Huh—wha? Oh, it's you. What are you doing?"

"I came to talk."

"What's there to talk about?"

"The fact that you're leaving soon and did not bother to tell me."

"You've been talking to Emmett, I take it."

"He told me everything. And it hurts that I had to hear it from him and not you."

"I was going to tell you eventually."

"When? The night before? Or maybe you'd just leave a note attached to your front door for me to find?"

"No, I'm not that cruel."

"I told Emmett I wanted to go with you."

House chuckled. "You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't belong in my time anymore than I belong in this one."

"And what time is that?"

"1999."

Her breath hitched a little. "It would be an adjustment to be sure, but..."

"To say the least. And how exactly would you support yourself? You'd have no money, no place to live..."

She swallowed. "I thought... under the circumstances, I'd be staying with you."

Now it was his turn to swallow hard. "That might be difficult."

"Why?"

"I don't live alone."

"Oh," she said softly, and then it suddenly dawned on her. "You are married to another?"

"No, not married, but she's been living with me for the last few years."

The anger, hurt and disappointment all hit her at once and she lashed out, smacking him hard across the face.

"Your family just loves to do that, don't they?" he chuckled as he rubbed his cheek.

"You never told me. Why?"

"I didn't think it was important. I figured I was stuck here for awhile and might as well make the best of it."

"My father was right after all. You used me and took advantage of me. How can I forgive you for that?"

He shrugged. "What do you want me to do? You went willingly. I didn't drag you to my bed kicking and screaming. I gave you everything you wanted. You begged me to make love to you and I did."

"And now you're going to leave and go back to your lady?"

"That's the plan."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes. Look, I never made you any promises. I never told you I loved you to get you into bed, did I?"

"No, you did not. But that doesn't make it hurt any less."

House sighed and held out his hand to her, which she took, and let him pull her into his arms as he wrapped them around her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you. But I'm an ass at the best of times. I make no secret of that."

"You have been nothing but a gentleman to me, Greg," she sniffed, trying to be brave but it was becoming a lost cause. She glanced up at him, tears rolling down her face and he wiped them away.

"Look, I don't know when Emmett plans to leave here, so there's no point on dwelling on the inevitable. Why don't we just live it up and enjoy whatever time we have left?"

"Without any hope of a future?" she sniffed. "Why can't you just stay?"

"Althea," he sighed, "I don't belong here. It's only a matter of time before your father realizes how much of a jerk I am and has my head on the chopping block."

"He wouldn't. He respects your talents as a doctor too much. You've helped a lot of people since you came here. That has not gone unnoticed. You even treated him when he came down with that virus a couple of weeks ago."

"He just wants you to be happy. I doubt I can make you happy the way he wants me to. I'm not the marrying kinda guy."

"I think you sell yourself short, Greg. I think you're an amazing man and you are more than capable of loving someone and being loved in return."

"But I don't belong here," he repeated. "How can I make you understand that? I need to go home. There's no challenges for me here. Not like at home. All the illnesses and diseases are old news. And half the time I can't effectively treat them because I don't have the medicine to do so."

"Why not?"

"Because it hasn't been invented yet. And a part of me wonders why I was sent back here to begin with. Everything happens for a reason, but I have no clue what my reason is for being here."

She smiled. "Maybe you were meant to fall in love with a beautiful princess who can show you what it's really like to be loved."

He smirked, and at first he was going to retort, but he decided against it. He'd hurt her enough already.

"Look, it's late and I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Have one of the servants see you out. I don't know what else I can say to you at this point."

"What if I don't want to go?" she asked.

He looked her up and down like she was an item on the menu and the corner of his mouth turned up. "You're very forgiving, aren't you?"

"Forgive and forget, that's what my mother taught me."

"It's a good policy. I wish I could follow that. I can usually forgive, but I never forget."

She followed him upstairs to his bedroom and began undressing. "Are you going to stay all night this time? And be here when I wake up in the morning?"

"Yes. It's no secret anymore. My father will know where I am. He's not thrilled, but he's happy as long as I'm happy." She walked over to him and placed her hands on his chest. "You make me happy Greg. I'm the happiest I've ever been. I've never known a man who wants to be with me because he likes me, not just for who I am."

She was getting to him. He knew it, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Suddenly Stacy was forgotten as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his bed with him, tugging at the bodice of her dress to free her breasts. When his mouth fastened on one of her nipples, she gasped and gripped his hair.

"Oh Greg!"

He untied the rest of her bodice and pulled it down all the way so she was free of it, and his hands found their way underneath her skirts. They slid up her legs to her centre and stroked her damp folds. "All ready for me, I see," he murmured between licks and nibbles to her breasts as he buried his face in the valley between them.

"I'm... always ready for you. I never knew such pleasure existed. You make me feel so good all over. And I don't know what I'll do without—"

"Shh," he whispered as he came up and kissed her. "Don't think about it that right now. Just think about how you're feeling."

"I need you, Greg," she whimpered. "And I do not care what you did before you came here, just that you are here now."

"You're becoming like an addiction," he whispered in her ear as she reached up to unbutton his pants. He kicked them off and then followed up with his shorts before he helped her remove her dress. "You're young... and beautiful. What're you doing with an old son of a bitch like me?"

"I want to be here. Age is but a number. It makes no difference to me. I love you for many reasons."

He stilled his movements and glanced down at her. "For instance?"

She smiled up at him and gently stroked his curly brown hair that was beginning to turn grey. "You make me laugh. You're the most brilliant man I've ever met. Well," she thought, "next to Emmett. He's brilliant as well, but in a different way. You have a brilliant mind when it comes to medicine, just like he does with Science. You're tall, handsome and you have the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen on a man. I could just lie here and stare at them for hours, and listen to you talk. I love the sound of your voice."

"Okay stop," he laughed, "you're stroking my ego plenty."

"I would like to stroke something else, Dr. House," she grinned and let her hand trail down his chest, over his stomach. When her small hand gripped him, he hissed and closed his eyes.

"Oh my God..."

"I love touching you, Greg. Every part of you is amazing to me," she whispered as she continued to stroke him up and down with a very tight grip.

"If you keep that up, it'll be over before it even starts," he groaned as he tried to regain some kind of control. "Oh yeah... that's good. Keep going."

He was in heaven, she had quite a grip and he was enjoying himself. But he certainly wasn't expecting what came next.

She was kissing her way down his chest, stomach and his hips until her mouth closed around him and her tongue licked him like a Popsicle.

House almost came right then. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and watched her for awhile. "I'm not... gonna ask where you learned to do this," he growled as he started to buck his hips a little.

She glanced up at him, his cock still in her mouth, and he groaned once again at the sight of her. She was perfection. There was no doubt about it.

When she began to move up and down on him, he bucked his hips harder so he was fucking her mouth hard and fast until he came down her throat and growled loud enough to wake the dead. She took it all without batting an eye and he collapsed back against the pillows, totally spent.

"Holy hell..."

She smiled as she moved up to lay next to him, stroking his chest as she played with the hairs there.

"I enjoyed giving you such pleasure. I wanted to give back what you gave me the other night."

House grinned at her and kissed her forehead. "It was certainly a very pleasant surprise. How did you..."

"A lady never tells," Althea giggled, and then laughed at his reaction.

"A lady, huh? I didn't think a lady swallowed."

"This one does," she blushed. "Besides, I wanted to know what it was like. It was alright, yes?"

He kissed her forehead. "It was amazing. You are amazing."

"Likewise."

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled the covers up over them. "You're not leaving now, are you?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No. It's late. Just stay here."

Althea yawned and stretched like a cat. "I am quite exhausted."

"I can imagine. That was quite a workout. Your jaw muscles must be sore," he chuckled when she playfully slapped his chest before yawning again and cuddling up against him.

House slept for a couple of hours but was awakened to a hand hitting him in the face. He opened his eyes to see that Althea had been the culprit, still in a deep sleep.

He tried to go back to sleep, but after several minutes it was hopeless so he rolled over, pulled the sheet down to reveal her breasts and leaned over to gently kiss each one until they became hard pebbles.

She stirred a little, and there was a hint of a smile on her lips but she didn't wake up. He buried his face in the valley between her breasts and kissed his way down her body, planning on returning the favor that she did him a few hours before.

It didn't take long to get here to the point where she was squirming and writhing against his mouth as he devoured her and teased her relentlessly, bringing her right to the edge and then backing off again.

"Oh Greg, yes!" she groaned as her fingers dug in his hair and she bucked her hips against his face.

He eagerly lapped at her core as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. Soon she was begging him for release and trying to pull him up so he could finish her off the way she wanted.

"Are you close?" he whispered as he moved his fingers faster.

"Oh, yes! Please, Greg! Please!"

"Please what?"

"Please... take me! I want you. I want to feel you inside of me! It is so good!"

He continued to lick until he felt her inner walls start to squeeze his fingers so he pulled them out and replaced them with his cock which was as hard as blue steel.

"Oh God yes!" she shouted as soon as he began to pump into her. Her foot slid up his calf and her leg hooked around his hip as he went deeper and harder. He felt like a stallion, unable to stop, and unwilling to go any slower. He was getting so close to the edge and he knew she was already over it by the way she screamed his name and went limp underneath him.

He kissed her, forcing her mouth open under his as his tongue explored, getting her excited all over again. Then he suddenly pulled out of her. "Roll over, on your stomach," he growled.

When she looked at him questionably, he did it himself, flipping her over, pulling her up so she was on all fours and then slamming into her from behind.

She grunted and then moaned once he began hitting her G-spot. "Oh my!" she breathed as he rode her hard and fast, wrapping one arm around her middle while he tugged on her hair. His mouth fastened onto her neck as he felt his climax fast approaching and when it did, he bit down and they both screamed in mutual satisfaction as they came together in one hot fury.

He collapsed on top of her and they both lay there in a sweaty heap on the bed, trying to catch their breath.

"That was... so different. What do you call that?" she asked after he rolled off of her and she rested her cheek against his chest.

"Doggie style."

She giggled. "Interesting."

"There are lots of other things I could show you, if you're interested."

"Like what?"

"I'd rather not put it into words," he smiled.

"Well, I have enjoyed being with you in every way possible so far. And I am a very apt pupil, Dr. House," she giggled.

"We'll see about that. There are many facets to sex. It's not all cut and dry."

"Will you show me?"

"Maybe. If you're into that sort of thing."

She frowned. "What sort of things are you talking about, Greg?"

"I wouldn't. But accidents happen. Of course, I'd be careful and with any luck, they wouldn't, but you never know."

"Give me an example."

"Tying you up and having my way with you."

Her face paled and it all he could do not to laugh. "Relax. It's not as bad as you think."

"Being tied up is never good."

"It is the way I do it," he said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. But she still didn't look convinced. "You like it when I pin your hands down on the bed, don't you?"

"Well, yes. But..."

"It's the same thing. You can't move, can't touch me, and I have all the control."

"I suppose it would not hurt to be tied up that way. And if I asked for you to untie me, you would, right?"

"In a second," he nodded as he began to place kisses down her neck. "I want you to enjoy yourself too. This isn't just about my pleasure. If you're not having fun, it's not fun for me."

"No, I suppose not."

"Just let me know when you're up to giving it a try."

Tired of talking, House rolled over and quickly fell asleep, completely spent and exhausted from their tryst.

XXX

"Do you know why father called us here?" Althea whispered to her sister as they stood in the throne room.

"That I do. And if you had not been so busy in Dr. House's bed these days, you would know as well as I."

Althea was shocked, but she still blushed a crimson shade of red. "You've been with him. You know what he is capable of."

"I only spent but one night with the man. One night was plenty. He is a rogue. A wastrel. And you do better staying away from him, little sister."

"I can't," Althea whispered as she stared down at her hands which were beginning to fidget. "I love him."

"Oh, come come now," Charlotte scoffed. "You're young. What do you know about it?"

"I know how I feel. How he makes me feel. I also know that he has not taken any other lovers since. That alone should tell you something."

"Yes, it tells me that he is having his fun with you now, and will move on once he loses interest."

"Well it has been over two weeks and that has not happened, so there," Althea hissed and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Charlotte gasped in shock but when the door opened, they both curtsied as their father entered the room with a stranger in tow.

She was older. Perhaps several years older than their late mother, and she had cold grey eyes.

"May I introduce Lady Katherine of Portugal. Katherine, these are my lovely daughters, Charlotte and Althea."

Both girls curtsied again and the lady smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "They are very lovely." She walked up to the girls as if she were conducting an inspection, and she stopped in front of Althea. "How old are you, dear?"

"Eighteen, Lady Katherine."

"And why is it that you are not wed?"

Althea resisted the urge to tell the woman that it was none of her damn business. Thoughts of Greg and the things he did to her just that morning made her blush.

"Cat got your tongue, dear?"

"I wish to wait until I meet the right man. And I may have already met him."

Charlotte rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Well, isn't that lovely. I would like to meet him."

"I am sure that could be arranged, Lady Katherine," Althea smiled.

"I would like one, or both of you girls to show the Lady around court. Introduce her to all nobility."

"Yes, father," the girls said in unison.

"But not now. Perhaps tomorrow," Katherine said. "I should like to wander around on my own, see what I can see."

"Of course you may. And please, make yourself at home."

Althea and Charlotte made their exits and once they were out of earshot, Charlotte sighed. "Looks like we'll be expected to call her Mumsy any day. If you ask me, father is seriously considering marrying the woman."

"Well if he does, I hope she stays out of my personal life. If I have to answer to one more person as to why I'm not yet married I will surely scream."

"You'll be known as a spinster before you're twenty if you don't hurry up. What's the matter? Greg won't marry you?"

"I do not see the point if he is not planning to stay. He is leaving with Emmett in four days."

"Then convince him to stay. If you claim to love him so much, it should be easy."

"No, it is not. He loves another where he comes from. And yet, when he looks at me, the way he touches me, makes me wonder if..."

"If what?"

"If he feels more for me than he lets on."

"You will have to ask him. You have a right to know what his intentions are."

"He does not have any!" Althea shouted as they walked. "You might have been right about him being a rogue, but that doesn't make me love him any less. And I will love him now until the day I die. My last thought this side of the grave will be of him and those damn blue eyes!"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: One more chapter after this one. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Thirteen**

"You there," Lady Katherine called to Emmett as he finished shoeing one of the horses.

He stood up and smiled at her. "May I help you?"

"You may address me as Lady Katherine," she said in a harsh tone.

He winced. "Yes, Lady Katherine. What can I do for you?"

"I wish to take one of these horses for a ride."

"Very well. Are you an able rider, Lady Katherine? I might suggest a horse that would suit you."

She smiled at the man. At last! Someone who seemed to know how to treat nobility with the respect she deserved.

"I have been riding all my life."

Emmett studied her. She looked not much younger than himself and he classified her as late fifties, early sixties, tops.

"Very well then. This one here, Galileo, should do nicely. He's very well behaved."

"What kind of a name is that?"

"I named him after the famous scientist, M'lady."

She looked totally clueless, and Emmett simply shrugged. "I'll prepare his saddle for you. It won't take but a moment."

"It better not. I am very anxious to survey these grounds." She sneezed and then coughed. It wasn't a simple, dry cough, either.

"Have you seen a doctor, M'Lady?"

She glared at him. "What business is it of yours, sir?"

"Your cough doesn't sound very good. You should get it looked at."

"What I should and should not do is not your concern, Mister..."

"Doctor. Emmett L. Brown at your service," he said with a deep bow.

She looked him up and down like he was vermin, taking in his clothes that were covered in dirt and grime from working by the forge all morning.

"You are a doctor?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"A scientist, not a medical doctor. You'll want to see His Grace, Dr. House."

She nodded. "I have heard of this man they call Dr. House. Where would I find him?"

"I honestly don't know, M'Lady. He could be anywhere in the kingdom right about now. He sees a lot of patients."

She frowned but allowed him to help him onto the horse. "Thank you, sir."

Emmett smiled up at her and bowed. "Have a good ride, M'Lady."

XXX

"Ohh Greg!" Althea sighed as he lowered her back against the blanket they were laying on and kissed her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin there. "That is very nice."

"Mhm," he nodded as he brushed her hair to the side so he could have more access. He was just about to go in for the kill when they both heard someone approaching and sat upright just as Lady Katherine came into view.

"Oh damn," Althea muttered under her breath so only he could hear, and he chuckled.

"You there!" she called to them. "Shouldn't you be at the castle, young lady?"

"I may go where I wish, M'Lady," Althea replied icily while House watched with amusement.

The woman looked at House and a small smile graced her lips. Evidently, she liked what she saw. "And who are you, sir?"

House stood up. "Dr. Gregory House."

"You're Dr. House?" she asked, looking back and forth from him to Althea and finally making the connection. "Does his Majesty know about this rendez-vous?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "So?"

She coughed into her hand and sat up a little straighter in her saddle, but House heard that cough, and he didn't like it. "You will tend to my cough. I will expect you back at the castle in thirty minutes."

House rolled his eyes when she turned around and headed back the way she came.

"Oh, do you have to go?" Althea pouted.

"Yep. But we'll continue this later. I'll come find you," he said as he folded the large blanket and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Alright. Do you promise?"

He smiled at her. Damn, but she was beautiful when she was sad. He wanted nothing more than to take her right there in the middle of the woods, but he didn't like to be rushed.

"You know I don't make promises. I'll do what I can. That'll have to be good enough."

XXX

House entered the Lady Katherine's chambers where she was laying in bed, already in her night clothes, even though it was the middle of the day. He gave a silent order to the lady in waiting and she went to do his bidding as he closed the door behind him.

"How're we feeling, M'Lady?" he asked. It was his intention to be as cordial and polite as possible so he could get out of there as fast as possible.

"Not very well, doctor. As soon as I got back here I felt very tired."

"That would explain why you're already in your nightgown. I need you to sit up for me so I can listen to your chest and lungs."

He took the rolled up parchment paper he brought with him which worked surprisingly well as a substitute stethoscope and held it against her chest. "Deep breath in," he ordered. "And again." He had her sit forward so he could listen to her lungs, and as he expected, they didn't sound too good, although not as bad as he thought. Worst case scenario it was early onset Bronchitis.

"Been ill recently? Sniffles? Sore throat? Sinus congestion?"

Her eyes went wide. "Yes."

"Yes what?"

"All those things you said."

"Fatigue? Headache?"

"Yes. What is it, Doctor?"

"Your heart is fine and your lungs sound okay. Just get plenty of rest." The young girl returned with a steaming cup of tea and honey. "Drink this."

Katherine's eyes widened. "What is it? Some kind of potion for what ails me?"

"Not a potion so much as an elixir. It'll help loosen up the mucus in your lungs and your cough should go away on its own."

"But what is it?"

"Tea mixed with honey. Drink it two to three times a day, rest and take it easy and you'll be fine. I'm done here."

"Wait!" she called to him and he turned around.

"Yes?"

"Rumor has it you will be leaving."

"It's not a rumor. I _am_ leaving."

"Are you taking the Princess with you?"

"No."

"Interesting."

"Not really. I don't belong here and she wouldn't belong where I'm from."

"Do you love her?"

He chuckled. "If I said yes would it make you stop bugging me?"

Katherine frowned and anger flashed in her eyes. "I am not sure what you mean but I was just asking what your intentions are towards her. She is very young."

"Yes, she is. And you're not."

"Exactly my point. Wouldn't it serve you to be with a woman with... more to offer?"

Now House was amused and he snorted in laughter.

"Rumor has it you're to marry His Majesty. And here you are offering yourself to me on a silver platter. So much for the sanctity of marriage."

"The Princess is but a child. She can do nothing for you."

"And you can? As it stands right now, in your condition you can't do much of anything. Good day, M'Lady," House grinned as he turned around and left the room. He went immediately to Emmett's workshop where the man was tinkering with the DeLorean's computer.

"How soon can we be out of here?"

Emmett looked up at House. "A few days. Why?"

"The Lady Katherine just propositioned me."

"And this is a problem?"

House glared at him. "What do you think? You think I'd actually want to bed that old bag? She's closer to your age than mine."

"Gee thanks."

"Hey, just trying to steer some action your way, my friend. Let me remind you that if I hadn't arrived, Althea would be spending her nights in your bed."

"I doubt that."

"Well you shouldn't. So anyway, what's the deal? What's the hold up?"

"The computer. I need to make sure it works, which will require a jump through time and back as a test run."

"So let's do it."

Emmett sighed. "It's kind of noisy. We'd have to go out quite a ways to do it."

"How is that a problem? We'll just go out into the country where nobody's around. What happens when the car makes the jump?"

"It has to hit eighty-eight miles per hour before the time circuits kick in and when it does, it leaves fire trails behind. And when the car arrives at its destination, it's covered in ice."

"Cooool. This I gotta see. So if it does work, when can we officially leave?"

"Monday. I have some potential replacements to take over for when I leave. I have been considering one thing, however."

"What's that?"

"Going to your time. It might be nice to start fresh and get rid of my reputation as the town crackpot."

"And you think 1999 will be much better?"

"Well, I don't plan to just change times, I was also thinking of changing locations. I have the credentials to teach Physics anywhere I want."

House nodded. "It's always good to start fresh. I won't ask how or why you've earned that reputation. God knows I have my own."

Emmett chuckled. "Yes, I've heard quite a bit about your reputation. I don't suppose you'd be able to use that reputation to get me a job out there, would you?"

House arched an eyebrow at him. "You want to move to the east coast? Get away from sunny California?"

"It's not all that sunny," Emmett said. "And as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. That other side being of course, the other side of the country."

House nodded. God knows he knew all about how one's reputation could follow him and he did sympathize with the older man. If he got him home like he promised, House would do his damnedest to help him out. Getting him a job at one of the big universities would not be a problem. When he got home he would do some research on the man and see what he could find out.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, let's just work on getting back to 1999."

Emmett nodded. "Any thoughts on how you're going to handle Althea?"

"Nope. Whenever I try to think about it, I just get depressed. I have someone back home. It's not an easy situation."

"Althea mentioned her. What's her name?"

"Stacy. She's a lawyer."

"How did you two meet?"

"At a paintball tournament. Doctors versus lawyers. We went on a date and she moved in right after. That was nearly five years ago now."

"Are you going to marry her?"

"I wasn't planning on it. We like the way things are. We're both very busy. A marriage certificate wouldn't change anything."

"If you had to stay here, what would you do?"

"I don't dare think about it. I don't know what I'd do. I live for the medical puzzle. There's none of that here. I'd die of boredom. Literally. And even once I diagnose someone, I can't save them because the medicine and technology doesn't exist yet."

"You could always come back to get her," Emmett suggested with a casual shrug before he went back to working on the computer. He wasn't aware that he'd planted a seed in House's head.

XXX

Althea was sound asleep when House slipped into her bedchamber. He paid a page a farthing to guard the door and make sure nobody disturbed him, claiming he was treating her for the cold that Lady Katherine had.

He stripped down to his shorts and climbed into bed with her, gently kissing her until she began to stir. "Greg?" she murmured as she rolled onto her back. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she saw his bright blue ones staring down at her.

"Hi," he whispered.

"How did you get in here?"

"I have my wicked, wicked ways. It's not important, really. What is, is the time we have left."

She sat up and frowned. "You'll be leaving soon?"

He nodded. "Emmett's fixed his time machine and it works. We'll be leaving in two days, as soon as he finds someone to take his place."

She nodded, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. House sighed as he took her hands. "Althea, I can't stay. You know why."

"I know. It just... hurts so much. Not so much that you are leaving but because you won't take me with you."

He didn't let on what was going through his mind. "Life's too short to be upset about this. I want to make love to you," he whispered as he began to kiss her cheeks, then her forehead before arriving at her mouth. "Let me." He lowered her back against the pillows and moved on top of her as he pushed her long nightgown up over her hips.

"Oh Greg!" she gasped when he slipped inside of her warmth and began to thrust gently at first.

"You feel so good," he whispered in her ear as he moved slowly and penetrated her with long strokes.

"Greg please... take me with you... I'll be lost without you."

"You'll manage. You're young."

He moved faster, grabbing her leg and lifting it higher so he could get deeper. "Oh God... Althea..."

"Greg!" she cried out as she hit her climax and fell over the edge. "Oh God I love you. I'll never love anyone the way I love you. You've ruined me for anyone else."

"That was the plan," he grunted as he moved faster and fell over the edge.

"I don't know how to make you understand why I can't stay," he said as he stretched out next to her in bed and stared at the ceiling. "I do have feelings for you. But if I stayed, lady Katherine would make all kinds of trouble for us. I know she would. She's already propositioned me once. And something tells me she always gets what she wants. I want to get out of here before she does."

Althea frowned. "Are you saying what I think you are saying, Greg? Would you actually take her to your bed?"

"If I did it would be to get her to leave me the hell alone. Is your father seriously considering marrying this woman? Because he should know what kind of person she is."

"I cannot tell my father anything. He needs to learn it for himself."

House grinned. "Well, I might be able to help with that."

She rolled onto her side and looked at him. "What did you have in mind?"

"Let him catch her in the act."

Althea caught on to what he was trying to say and she grinned. "I think I understand what you're saying. "What can I do to help?"

XXX

House entered Lady Katherine's room the next day with an herbal supplement known to cure sore throats. At the same time, Althea was working on getting her father up to lady Katherine's room.

"Feeling any better today, M'Lady?" he asked her as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"No," she croaked. "My throat is very sore. It hurts to speak."

"This might help," he said as he handed her a cup of tea mixed with various herbs.

"Your last remedy was quite helpful. I will try this one as well," she said as she took the steaming mug from him and sipped. She made a face. "What is this? It's horrible!"

"It has to hurt if it's to heal," he reminded her as he took out the rolled up paper he used the day before. "I want to check your lungs again."

She sat up and let him examine her once again. "Your lungs sound much better already. I guess you had a couple of cups of tea with honey yesterday like I ordered."

"Yes, Dr. House." She leaned over and caught a whiff of him. "Is that... a woman's perfume?"

"It might be," he said with a coy smile.

Katherine frowned. "You came from the Princesses bed?"

"I did. But when you sent for me, I came didn't I?"

"Quite quickly," she nodded. "I am impressed, although your bedside manner leaves little to be desired."

"His Majesty didn't hire me for my bedside manner. So, are you going to marry him?"

"If he will have me. He has not yet asked."

"You should have fun while you can," House said in such a way that she understood his meaning.

"You are so right," she said as she moved a little closer to him. "You know, I do not normally make it a habit of spending time with men younger than myself. But you have something... something very alluring and I cannot put my finger on it. You're a very unique man, Dr. House. A man I would like to get to know better."

House felt his stomach turn. He really wasn't in the mood to hop into bed with this woman. Where the hell was Althea and her father?

Before he could formulate a reply, she grabbed him and pulled him on top of her, kissing him roughly and feverishly as her tongue invaded her mouth.

At that moment, the door burst open and the king stormed into the room. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted.

Katherine pushed House off of her and clutched at her gown. "He threw himself at me, your Majesty!"

"What?" House yelled back. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

"Guards!" The king shouted, and two armed men stormed into the room. "Take Dr. House to the tower!"

"No! Father!" Althea shouted as she grabbed her father's arm. "Greg is innocent! Lady Katherine is the sinner here, not him!"

"She set me up!" House shouted as the men grabbed both of his arms and began leading him out of the room. "Althea, tell him!"

"This is the last time you'll put your hands on any woman! Your head is as good as gone. You're lucky if that's all you lose when this is over!" the king shouted after him.

XXX

House sat in the cold, damp desolate room. There was a scattering of hay, a pathetic excuse for a mattress to sleep on, and he didn't even want to contemplate the bucket he assumed was to relieve himself in.

This was bad. He knew it. His only consolation was that he knew the time machine worked. He just hoped Emmett would be able to break him out of the tower before it was too late. Thoughts of the worst possible torture began to plague his mind and he shivered.

The door opened and Althea entered carrying a handful of blankets. "I have spoken to Emmett," she whispered as she handed them to him. "Try to stay positive. He's working on a plan as we speak. Do not worry."

"You should be talking to your father and convincing him what a bitch his future wife is and how she set me up. You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," she said, sniffing back tears. "But you have to admit it did not look very good. You were on top of her, Greg! Kissing her!"

"She pulled me on top of her!" he argued. "It's not my fault your father chose to barge in just at that moment. It took me by surprise to say the least. It was bad enough that he knows I'm screwing his daughter, but it's quite another that I was caught kissing someone else. People have gone to the scaffold for much less. And unless Emmett gets me the hell out of here, that's exactly where I'm headed. Or beheaded as the case may be."

"I will not let that happen, Greg."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

XXX

It got dark outside while House dozed on the cot in the corner. He heard the familiar sound of the DeLorean in hover mode and he went to the window, looking past the bars as Emmett rose up and opened the gullwing door.

"How're you holding up?" he whispered to House.

"I've had better days. I'm set to hang until I'm half dead at eight O'clock in the morning. Before I'm cut down, disemboweled and quartered. I've already puked at the mere thought of it. So much for Althea. Where the hell was she when I was being sentenced?"

"She's still campaigning for your release but it seems the King is dead set on seeing you hang for attempting to rape Lady Katherine."

"I hardly touched the old woman. The wicked bitch set me up and my plan was all shot to hell."

"What plan?"

"Althea was going to have her father catch Lady Katherine trying to seduce me so we could get rid of her once and for all. I knew she'd make trouble for me and she's done that in spades."

"Well lucky for you I have a plan. Come closer and hold out your hand."

House held his hand out through the bars, Emmett moved the car closer and handed over a chisel and a hammer. "If you pick at the base of the bars you can loosen them enough to get rid of at least one. You should just fit through."

House wasted no time picking away at the cement and stone, thrilled that Emmett was right. The cement chipped away rather easily and before long, house was able to bend the bars until one of them snapped right off, leaving a wide gap. It looked wide enough for him to climb through.

Meanwhile, Doc turned the Delorean around and opened the gullwing door, pulling the car as close as he possibly could.

"Hurry up! Someone's coming," Emmett hissed as House squeezed his lanky frame through the gap and jumped onto the roof of the car before climbing down into the seat.

"Good. Close the door and make sure it's sealed shut."

Once both doors were closed, Emmett sped off as fast as possible while relief flooded House. The relief was palpable.

"Time circuits on. Destination: Princeton, New Jersey, June 20, 1999 at 1:00 a.m. Is there a safe location I can arrive at without anyone seeing us?"

"The roof of the hospital. It's probably your best bet since nobody goes up there."

Emmett typed in the coordinates and a picture of the building came up. "That's it," House confirmed, ignoring the feeling of homesickness and then abandonment he felt toward leaving Althea without saying goodbye. But it was better than her knowing about how he was supposed to be executed.

"Buckle up and prepare for temporal displacement," Emmett ordered as he moved the DeLorean higher in the sky and as far from the castle and kingdom as he could get.

Once the car hit eighty eight miles per hour, there were three loud sonic booms and the lights of the city below made House sigh, and feel slightly overwhelmed.

"Are we back?"

Emmett nodded and smiled. "We're back."

XXX

**Princeton, New Jersey**

**1999**

House let himself into his apartment after Emmett dropped him off with the promise to call him once he got his affairs in order back home. He desperately wanted a hot shower, hot food and hot sex. Not necessarily in that order. But he was grateful that for once, Stacy wasn't home. As he stripped down and tossed the clothes in the clothes hamper, he wondered where exactly she was. She was usually home by midnight when she was working on an important case, no matter what.

The hot water cascaded down on him and he groaned loud enough to wake the dead as he let months of 1666 wash down the drain. He washed himself and his hair twice until he was satisfied and stayed under the spray until the water started to cool down and he had to get out. His next item of business was something to eat. He found the leftover Indian food in the fridge and it looked so good he almost gobbled it up without heating it, but he thought better of it. He fixed himself a plate and tossed it in the microwave while he grabbed a beer and guzzled it. It tasted so good that once it was gone he grabbed another just as Stacy came through the door.

"Oh, you're home," she said, sounding a little surprised.

"I got home a little while ago. Where were you?"

"I was at the library doing research."

House looked at his watch. "At 1am? Interesting."

She frowned and watched him take the plate out of the microwave when it beeped and sit down to eat like a starving man.

"Hungry, Greg?" she asked as she watched him inhale the butter chicken and rice.

"You have no idea." He made no comment about how he'd had nothing to eat but stale bread and an apple in the last thirty six hours. Being sentenced to death didn't do much for his appetite.

"Well, I'm going to bed," she said as she gently touched his hair. "Coming soon?"

"I'm not tired."

He was exhausted, but his body was still on London time and normally, he'd just be getting up.

"Okay well, I'll be waiting," She said in a sultry tone as she kissed his forehead and walked down the hall toward the bedroom. He watched her as he ate, not stopping eating until the plate was empty and he was sufficiently full. Once he put his stuff away, he went and sat down in front of the TV for awhile, hoping it would settle him down and allow him to sleep.

His mind began to wander about everything. Part of him wanted to go online and see what happened to Althea after he left. The urge to do so wasn't as strong as his urge to have another beer and go to bed.

And yet, something wasn't sitting right with him. Something was off about Stacy and he wasn't sure what it was until it hit him.

She smelled different. Not her usual scent but something else. Something almost masculine.

His blood went cold as he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together and he knew he needed to confront her about it or he wouldn't get any sleep.

So he went down the hall and climbed into bed where she had already fallen asleep.

"Hey," he whispered as he shook her.

"Hmm?" she murmured as she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. "You okay?"

"I was."

"What's wrong?"

"Who were you with earlier?"

"What do you mean who was I with? You know I was working with Mark Warner on the case."

"Right. In the library at 1a.m. The thing is, there are no libraries open at that hour. I checked."

Stacy was silent as she just stared at him.

"How long?"

She sighed. "Two months."

"Two months? You've been screwing that jerk right under my nose for two months?"

"Greg! I'm sorry! I didn't plan it. It just happened!"

"Right. His penis just happened to slip into your vagina. Oops!"

He got up and started getting dressed again. "I'm going to Wilson's. I want you and your stuff gone by the end of work tomorrow."

Stacy got out of bed. "No, _I'll_ go. And I'll clear my things out tomorrow."

"No, I'm going. I don't want to sleep in this bed again. God only knows how many times you've brought Mark here while I've been at the hospital."

Stacy jumped back like she'd been slapped. "I have never brought Mark here!"

"Well good. That's one good thing that's happened today." He left the room and looked for his coat and his keys and looked at her one last time. He felt nothing, and that surprised him. He thought for sure he should feel something. Anything. But thoughts of Althea invaded his mind and he knew. He didn't love Stacy anymore and even less now that he knew about her affair. Of course, he'd had an affair of his own, but that was when he never thought he'd actually come home.

But what had started as innocent fun turned into something he wasn't prepared for. He had, without a doubt, fallen head over heels in love with Althea. He knew he needed her, but he didn't know what to do.

On the drive to Wilson's he thought about his next plan. He'd go online and look up whatever information he could on Althea and if she fared well, he'd leave her be.

But if she didn't...

XXX

House slept like the dead at Wilson's and when he woke up, his friend was at work so he sat down at Wilson's computer and got comfortable before settling in to do some research.

It took some creative thinking to get the information he needed, but when he did, he wished he hadn't.

There were stories upon stories of Althea marrying some King of Spain, who was as old as Emmett and near death. It was said that it was her punishment for losing her virginity to someone else.

"Son of a bitch," he hissed as he read on to discover that she was sent to the scaffold for not producing an heir to the throne, and convicted of treason because she could not conceive, and therefore led him to believe she tricked him into marrying her just so she could become the Queen of Spain.

He slammed the laptop closed and banged his head against it. He couldn't stand the thought of her being beheaded because of him and it almost made him sick. He needed to talk to Emmett. There was no way he was going to have her stay in that time, knowing what was in store for her. She deserved better than that. Much better.

XXX

Three weeks later, House was practically climbing the walls when Emmett finally called him.

"House, is that you?" his husky voice asked over the phone.

"Emmett? Where are you?"

"Princeton University. You won't believe what just happened."

"You got a job?" House grinned, knowing the answer already.

"Yeah, how about that? I called them when I arrived in town and they wanted me to come in for an interview. You are now talking to the head of the Physics department. As it turns out, my former employers were so anxious to get rid of me in Hill Valley, they gave me a glowing recommendation and told the stiffs here that they'd be stupid if they didn't hire me. So they pretty much hired me on the spot."

"Awesome."

"You pulled some strings, didn't you?"

"Moi?" House laughed. "I might've talked to a few individuals. Everything else was up to you. I merely got your foot in the door."

"Well thank you, House. I owe you one."

"I'm glad you said that. Because I have a favor to ask you."

There was a pause. "You want to go back for Althea, don't you?"

"Am I that transparent?"

"What about..."

"She's gone. She was cheating on me. I kicked her out."

"Well, in actuality, you were cheating on her, too," Emmett pointed out. "But that's neither here nor there. You didn't think you'd make it home. I understand that. I'm assuming you looked her up."

"Damn right I did. And it isn't pretty. I've gotta bring her back here. She can live a long life and be happy in this time. Compared to... what happened to her after we left."

"I won't ask, because I don't want to know. Have you noticed any changes since you've been back?"

"Hmm..." House thought about it. "A few little things. People are using herbal remedies more. But other than that, that's about it. What about you?"

"Nothing of great significance. I'm sure the ripples of time will catch up to us eventually, but the world hasn't come to an end and we're still here so our being in 1666 hasn't hurt anyone or anything. You might've changed history a little, what with all the herbs you used to heal people back then, but nothing that people don't already know. And for that I'm greatly relieved. It feels good to start over."

"Yeah. I might be offered a job of my own soon too. I know the Dean of Medicine at Princeton Plainsboro teaching hospital. She's setting up a new department just for me. We're in negotiations now."

"That's good. So when you go get Althea you'll have everything in place."

"That's the plan. So when can we go?"

"I think we both need to get settled first. I found a house just a few miles from campus. It's got a nice big basement for a lab."

House knew he was right. Going to get Althea would require some preparation and planning. He couldn't just waltz in there and take her away. Well, he could, but it wouldn't be that easy.

But then again, nothing worthwhile was ever easy.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Well, this is it, kiddies. I wanted to get this posted today so I can put my effort into Camp NaNoWriMo. Not sure how that's going to turn out. My mind is still a jumble of ideas and thoughts at this point. I don't even know if I'll post the story once it's done, due to the content in it but we'll see. Anyway, thanks to all who've read and commented on this story. It was fun to write and I'm glad you all enjoyed it, even though it was full of inconsistencies and what not. Oh, and Happy Easter to all who celebrate it.**_

**Epilogue**

**London, England**

**1666**

House and Emmett arrived a few weeks after his escape from the tower in hopes that the excitement of that would have dissipated. Nobody would expect to see him, and dressed as one of the servants, he'd be able to blend in with everyone else.

The sun was just beginning to set and the rain finally stopped as they went over the game plan.

"Do you have everything?"

"Yeah. Hopefully it won't take too long to convince her to leave with me."

"Here's hoping. Good luck, House," Emmett gave him a thumbs up and lowered the DeLorean so it was next to the balcony of Althea's bedroom. House quickly climbed out and went inside to find her sitting at her dresser brushing her hair.

"Getting yourself all pretty for me?" he said softly as he stood in the doorway of the balcony.

She gasped and turned around to face him. She suddenly went very pale.

"Greg? You... I... I don't..."

"Relax. You're not staring at a ghost."

"But... how did you escape?"

"Emmett."

She thought about it for a minute and then it was as if a light bulb went off over her head. "The time machine."

"Yep. And that's why I'm here. I came to take you back with me. If you want to, that is."

"What about? You know... your lady."

"She moved out a few weeks ago. Look, we don't have a lot of time. But I'm not staying in this time for obvious reasons and you shouldn't either. I can't tell you any more than that."

"Why not?"

"To quote the great Emmett Brown, nobody should know too much about their own destiny. But out of curiosity I looked you up in the history books. Yeah, I cheated, but it was your history, not mine."

She was still speechless so he took her hands in his. "Look, this will be the last time I come back here. I can't keep making visits like this, as much as I'd love to. If I get caught, I'll lose my head for sure. I can only imagine what happened when they came to take me away and found the cell empty," he chuckled.

"Oh, you should have seen it! Everyone was gathered in the town square, all ready to see the execution of the handsome, brilliant doctor, whom they thought was my father's prodigal son. And then all hell broke loose when they discovered you gone."

House grinned at the very idea. "I wish I could've seen that. Oh well. Anyway, the choice is yours. You have ten minutes to pack some essentials and then we've gotta get outta here."

"I... I don't know. I can't just... fall off the face of the earth."

"Yeah, actually you can. It's better than the alternative..." his voice trailed off and he kicked himself for saying too much.

"The alternative? Greg? What are you talking about?"

"Let me just say that your future isn't so bright you gotta wear shades. If you stay here, that is."

She looked confused as to his meaning. "Tell me."

"No. It might make things worse. And besides, if you come with me, it won't come to pass anyway."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me," she hissed as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I guess you're staying then. Too bad. You would've enjoyed 1999," he said with a shrug, trying not to show how hurt he was at her refusal. He was quite surprised by it. He thought _she'd_ be leading _him_ out the door.

House headed for the balcony where Emmett was hovering.

"Greg, wait."

He stopped and watched her come toward him just as her bedroom door opened and her sister walked in. When she saw House, she looked stunned, turned pale and fainted dead away.

"Well, that solves that problem," he thought to himself and the ether he had in his pocket just in case. He was, however, tempted to use it on Althea and just take her anyway, but he knew it had to be her choice. "Okay, now I really have to get outta here before she wakes up. Whaddya say, Princess? I can't promise you'll be ridiculously happy, but you'll see and experience things beyond your comprehension and you'll live a good deal longer than you would if you stayed here."

"How do you know that?"

"What's the average life expectancy here?"

She chuckled. "One is lucky to see sixty."

"What would you say if I told you that people live past 100? There's no plague, no sweating sickness, no consumption. None of the killers that you see here. You could and should live a hell of a long time. But you won't if you stay here. And that's a fact."

It didn't take much more convincing. He waited somewhat impatiently while she wrote a quick note to her father and sister, grabbed a few things and let House help her into the DeLorean which was waiting outside.

Emmett smiled at her as she settled herself in House's lap and held onto him for dear life. "You made the right decision," he told her and patted her hand. "Time circuits on. Destination, Princeton, New Jersey, July 15th, 1999."

Althea's eyes widened as the car picked up speed and flew through the air and then punched through time in a brilliant flash of light accompanied by three sonic booms which would take her to her new life.

The End.


End file.
